Bullet Through My Heart
by hkror
Summary: When Jacob Ben Israel decides he's had enough, the lives of the Glee Club members may be forever changed by Jacob's actions.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: All right people, this idea has been in my head for quite some time, so I've decided to put it on paper. I'm not the best writer out there, far from it but I decided to give it a shot. English is also not my first language, so you'll excuse me if some mistakes are made. I will be doing the best I can not to butcher the english language. **_

_**Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me, the characters in this fic do not belong to me as well. They're the property of Fox and the creating team behind Glee (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan). **_

_**A/N 2: This is a Faberry fic, so if you're not into it, then please look the other way. As for the spoilers, just to be safe (season 1 and season 2 up until A very Glee Christmas). Established Faberry, although there will be a closer look as how they got together. **_

_**I will be rearranging some of the storylines to fit better in my fic (with a Faberry fic, you can't expect me to write a Rachel gaga for Finn). So, do not take offense if some things are different from the show. **_

_**A/N3: Just to clarify, when the fic starts, we're at the beginning of Senior year. Rachel and Quinn have been together since Junior year after Rachel and Finn broke up for good. **_

_**I guess that's it. Hope you will like what I have to deliver. Constructive criticism is appreciated, especially since I'm perfectly aware that I'm not that good a writer. **_

_**Girls Bathroom**_

More than anything, Rachel hated being late for Glee Club. As she cleaned herself up as quickly as she could, she was cursing out loud. Yes, Rachel Berry was cursing, and she was damning Karofsky and Azimio to hell. She should have known that they would have found a way to get her. She had managed to steer clear of them all day long, and when she thought she was home free, they popped up behind her with not one, not two but three slushies that were quickly dumped on her.

Sure, dating the head cheerleader had its perks, but apparently being slushie free was not one of them. Although they did decreased in quantity, Karofsky and Azimio still managed to get her once in a while, even if it meant facing the wrath of one very pissed off blonde cheerleader and her very angry best friend. Yes, Santana had finally warmed up to Rachel. It took months, but after seeing Quinn so happy, Santana conceded defeat and surrendered.

Brittany had always been a sweetheart, so Rachel had no problems getting along with Brittany, treating the no so smart girl with nothing but kindness and that kind of won Santana over. Seeing Quinn with a smile 99,9% of the time had tipped the balance in her favor. So yes, Santana Lopez had Rachel Berry's back. Well except right now, because everyone was already in the choir room, but Rachel absolutely had to get her biology book from her locker. So, here she was in the girls bathroom cleaning herself off.

_**Choir Room**_

Everything was so different than it had been a year before. While, a year ago, everyone stayed within their own cliques, today the cliques had disappeared to form only one, very tight group of teenagers. But then again, so much had happened. Quinn's pregnancy and off the Cheerios and kicked out of her home, Finn and Puck's friendship in pieces, Quinn and Puck's heartache over Beth's adoption, Finn and Puck's reconciliation, Rachel finding her mother and the heartache over the rejection, Santana and Brittany finally coming to terms with their relationship, Kurt being bullied and finally finding love with Blaine, Tina and Mike relationship, Artie's heartache that resulted in one surprising strong friendship with Mercedes. Sam Evans, the new guy joining glee, dating Quinn for two months and finally finding his place in this group of misfits. But the biggest event had been Finn and Rachel deciding that they were better off as friends and finally Quinn and Rachel getting together.

This particular event had come as quite a shock for the rest of the club, but then again in retrospect, the two girls had always been at each other's throat. So, yeah a perfect case of denial.

So, yes the cliques were no more and Will Schuester couldn't be happier. His Glee Club had never been more united much to the dismay of one Sue Sylvester. Her pathological need for the destruction of the Glee Club was getting harder and harder to fulfill.

And for Will, this was the icing on the cake, his club was united and unity meant strength. And right now, he was a proud teacher. His students had finally found common ground and consequently were better than ever.

As he looked around the room and smiled, he couldn't help but notice the absence of his star student and frowned. Rachel was never late to Glee Club. And he saw that several of his students had noticed as well.

"Guys, do you know where Rachel is ?" he asked, his eyes on Quinn.

"No, Mr Schue. All I know is that she went to her locker to grab a book but that was 15 minutes ago." Quinn answered, a little bit worried. Where had Rachel gone to ? She was supposed to be right behind her, how much time do you need to retrieve a book. She just hoped that Karofsky and Azimio were not the reason for Rachel's tardiness. They had been after her all day long. "Do you want me to go look for her ?"

"No." he said. "Let's start the rehearsal, that will get her here."

"But, Mr Schue, we cannot start without..." started Finn before a loud shot interrupted his sentence.

Mr Schue instantly paled, this was a gun shot. He took a look at his students and a look of terror were etched in their faces.

_**Earlier that morning**_

Jacob Ben Israel was a teenager like every other teenager of Lima, Ohio. And he hated it. he wanted to be more than that, he wanted to be popular, he wanted to be liked and he wanted to date the star of the Glee Club, a beautiful brunette who was at the center of his fantasies.

So Jacob had created a blog, Gossip Girl style. Every piece of information and gossip in McKinley High ended up on his blog. And despite being read by the entire student body and most of the teaching staff, he still wasn't popular. He was still ridiculed and humiliated on a daily basis.

Students thought he was weird and gross, teachers didn't particularly liked him and Rachel Berry was still rejecting every single one of his advances with a disgusted look on her face. So what, he had been caught masturbating, but then again why did Rachel had to come to school dressed in that Britney outfit. Yes, he had asked for one of her panties in exchange for a favor when Quinn Fabray had gotten pregnant. That wasn't weird, right ?

His interest in Rachel was getting more and more out of hand. She occupied every single one of his thoughts and dreams. But, in his delusion, he always thought that after Finn, she would be his. Everyone could see that the dumb quaterback and the diva were not a good match. They fit better as friends, but yet they embarked in a relationship that dissolved itself within weeks. Everyone had seen it coming and what was surprising is that neither of them seemed too broken about it. So, Jacob naively thought his number had finally come up.

But, Quinn Fabray had to ruin it. That came as a shock to the entire high school. Quinn Fabray, recently back at the top of the pyramid, had admitted that she was gay, had gotten Rachel to admit that they had feelings for each other and had managed to get herself a date with the girl of his dreams. One week later, the two were officially dating. 8 months later, the pair was very much in love and going strong.

Quinn Fabray had squashed his hopes and Jacob was still at the bottom, girlfriendless and still being bullied (slushie, dumpster, wedgies, you name it, Jacob had to suffer through it.) And he decided that enough was enough. Today, he would make every one understand who was in charge. He would no longer be the laughing stock of McKinley High, but its leader.

So, on that beautiful morning, Jacob Ben Israel brought a gun to school.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Wow, I'm glad some of you seemed to enjoyed the story. Between the reviews and the story alerts. **_

_**I apologize in advance as I'm leaving you again with a cliffhanger, but I'm just changing a few details of the next chapter, but I will definitely post it tomorrow. **_

_**Also, just so you don't get confused, yes Blaine exists in my story (although I'm not sure yet, if he'll make an appearance, we'll see), but in my fic Kurt never went to Dalton. He thought about transfering, so I'm not ignoring the fact that he visited the school and met Blaine, but he never actually transferred there. **_

_**McKinley High Hallway (a few minutes before)**_

David Karofsky knew it was wrong, but still he had to do it. He had a reputation to maintain. So, in step with Azimio, he spotted the small brunette and headed towards her. She was in her usual plaid skirt and argyle top and he couldn't help but admire her legs. How could someone so short could have such long legs. This was a mystery to him. Rachel Berry was mocked by many, but David knew that most of the guys thought she was cute, but her loser status had prevented any of them to actually make a move, until Finn Hudson and more recently Quinn Fabray. This particular relationship threw Karofsky for a loop. He would have never imagined in a million years that Fabray was gay and had the hots for Berry. But then, he had never been very observant. And those two were talked about in the guys locker room, as the two hot girls had supplied the entire (straight) male student body with wonderful mental imagery. He also knew that Rachel Berry was destined to great things and that bothered him.

Yes, David Karofsky was jealous. He was envious of Berry and her confidence in herself. That despite every slushie, or every dumpster trip, she still held her head high. She was like a warrior, she never surrendered, she kept on fighting still keeping her values intact. And for that, he was envious. He had succumbed to peer pressure, he was among the weak and he knew that.

He was also envious of Finn Hudson, Noah Puckerman and Mike Chang who had gone against the established hierarchy by joining the Glee Club. Despite many threats, they were still in it and happier than ever because they were doing something they liked.

He was also envious of Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce because they had done the same thing as the boys and were still at the top. They were also gay, out and proud while he was still hiding, ashamed of who he was.

He was envious of Mercedes Jones, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams for never changing who they were, and fighting for the right to be themselves.

But most of all, he was jealous and envious of Kurt Hummel because the boy had the guts he didn't have, the courage to be himself. He had stood up to him, he had fought back. David knew he had almost gotten under Hummel's skin and he knew the boy had toyed with the idea of transfering. That's how he met his new boyfriend, Duane, Ben or something like that. But, in the end, Kurt took the bull by the horns, so to speak and decided to stay. And now, despite every threat, Kurt stood his ground against Karofsky and that annoyed the boy to no end. Karofsky had kissed Kurt and made a fool of himself, especially by trying to deny what had happened in the first place. Hummel had gotten to him and that, Karofsky couldn't forgive. He had a reputation to maintain. Dumb jock, football player and leader of McKinley High.

But what Karofsky envied most of all was their ability to be themselves and free. Because he wasn't. To be honest, David hated football, well no, not really. He liked playing, but for fun. He hated how his father pushed him into football, wanting him to get a scholarship and perhaps go pro. He didn't want to have a career in football, hell he didn't want to have a career in sports at all. David Karofsky wanted to be a doctor, and what nobody knew is that he had the brains for it. He failed some of his exams on purpose so he would continued to be seen as a jock and please his dad. But this was eating him alive. And because of all this, David Karofsky was the biggest bully McKinley had ever seen, and today it was Berry's turn, after all the girl had been elusive all day and here she was, standing at her locker, a perfect prey.

David looked at his best friend Azimio and smirked. The three slushies they had gotten would be so worth it.

Rachel, completely unaware of the two jocks advancing towards her, was putting her things in her locker, when suddenly, out of nowhere she was completely covered in slushie, head to toe. She turned around, and saw Azimio and Karofsky, laughing.

"How's that for a shower, hobbit! I warned you we would get you." laughed Karofsky. "And tell Hummel, he's next on my list" he finished .

Rachel quickly grabbed her emergency kit (commonly known as a spare change of clothes) and headed to the nearest bathroom, cursing under her breath.

Rachel managed to clean herself and change in less than 10 minutes. A new record, but then again she was late for Glee, so she sped things up. She could still hear Karofsky and Azimio laughing in the hallway. She didn't want to risk running into them again, but she had no choice, she had to go.

She peeked outside and saw that Azimio was leaving Karofsky at his locker. Of course, Karofsky's locker had to be almost next to hers. She had to retrieve her bag that she left there when she grabbed her clothes. Her music sheet were in that bag.

She put on her best Rachel Berry face and got out of the bathroom.

That's when she saw him appear out of nowhere. And the look on his face was nothing like she had ever seen before.

Jacob has a resolved look on his face, a cruel look. He looked into her eyes for a second and she felt a chill. Her sixth sense was tingling and was telling her to get the hell out of here. She momentarily forgot her bag and started to turn around and head to the choir room, when Jacob went past her towards Karofsky. And that's when she saw it, the black metal object in Jacob's hand. The gun. And her blood ran cold. And she knew. His target was Karofsky.

Rachel knew she had two options. First option, run, get help but by the time someone comes, it might be too late. Second option, try to talk to Jacob, get in the middle, save Karofsky from his fate. And because Rachel is Rachel, she does not run but turns around once again and makes her way towards the two boys.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Ok, I'm gonna leave this with another cliffhanger (last one, I promise). Thanks to those who take the time to review, very appreciated. **_

_**Just so you know, I'm out all week-end, so the next update won't be until tuesday (or wednesday at the latest). **_

_**Hope this chapter satisfies. **_

_**McKinley Hallway**_

"Jacob, what are you doing ?" she calls to the boy.

He turns around, surprised to find her still here. He will take care of her later. First, Karofsky, then Quinn Fabray. That is the order he must follow. Later, Rachel Berry will thank him for this. But right now, by being there she's kinda ruining it. Jacob hadn't plan on Rachel being present and he needs her to be gone so he can go through with it.

"Leave, Rachel. This does not concern you." he says, anger lacing each syllable. He wants it to be over, he wants to be done with it before he loses his nerves.

Rachel looks at the boy, trying to implore him with a look and he knows that she knows. For a moment, he sees fear and then he sees begging. Now, she begs him, now she decides to acknowledge him and for what, so she can save Karofsky. The guy who tortured her as much as he tortured him. This does not make any sense, but then again he never took the time to actually know Rachel Berry. All he knows is that she is beautiful and a great singer and he wants her to be his. But he does not know the real Rachel Berry.

"I believe, it does Jacob. What you're about to do goes against what I believe and it is my duty to try and talk some sense into you. You don't have to do this, Jacob." She says slowly and softly, trying to convey kindness and empathy. "There are some alternatives, better alternatives. This is not what you want for your life, Jacob."

"And what would you know about that ? You don't know me. You don't know what they put me through each and every single day.

Karofsky is now fully focused on the two. He doesn't really understand what is going on, until Jacob suddenly advances on him and raises a gun, and the gun is directly pointed at him. And for the first time in his life, David Karofsky is genuinely scared. Because he knows what he's done, he knows he's guilty and he knows he's probably pushed that Ben Israel kid too far and he's about to pay the price. What he doesn't understand is why the small brunette is still standing next to him. The same brunette he slushied 10 minutes before and he is stumped.

The sight of the gun has rendered him a little numb but the voices are slowly bringing back to reality. He hears the brunette shouting at Jacob to lower the gun, that it is wrong, he hears Jacob yelling that they all have it coming. The shouting continues and David makes a mistake, a big one. Because sometimes he really is a dumb jock, because he believes that he rules the school, because he's just a stupid 16 year old kid.

« Please who are you kidding, Jewfro ? Who are you trying to scare, you're just a pathetic little boy and you're going to pay for that. »

And then he sees Jacob's eyes. They turn cold and dark and he sees Jacob snap. And before he knows it, a shot is being fired.

In a split second, David thinks that it's over, that Jacob has won but then he notices that the small brunette who was next to him a few seconds ago is now in front of him. And his life changes forever.

Jacob's eyes widen with fear. The reality of what just happened suddenly hits him hard. What has he done ? What did she do ? Why, Karofsky ? He has thousands of questions and no answers. He looks at the gun in his hand, he takes a look at Rachel, who's literally frozen and he sees blood. He knows his life is over so he does the only thing he can think about. He raises the gun to his temple and the last think he hears is Karofsky shouting « No » and he pulls the trigger, one more time. Because he just killed Rachel Berry and he doesn't deserve to live after that.

David barely has the time to realize what has happened, everything just went so fast, when he sees Rachel shaking. She is still standing in front of him, and he realizes it. She acted as a shield. He turns her around so she can face him and she is deathly white, she is shaking and she has her hand on the right side of her chest. And he sees it, blood, coming out. And before she can utter his name, she starts to fall. He catches her.

« Rachel! » he yells. This is probably the first time he has called her by her first name. But she just saved his life. He looks around, no one. Now panics sets in. He picks her up and run to the choir room where he knows the rest of her team is.

Rachel heard her name falling from David's lips and, for him to call her Rachel, she must be dying. It hurts, a lot, pain like she's never known. And she's cold and her vision is kind of blurry right now. All she can think about is that David Karofsky had just called her Rachel. And then, she sees Quinn's face in her mind. A smiling blonde. They say that when you die, your life is supposed to flash before your eyes. But for Rachel it doesn't, all she sees is a random moment, but the most important one in her life.

She sees a smiling blonde looking at a pond where another blonde and another brunette are taking pictures of ducks. And she sees that same blonde girl looking back at her with a smile that could light up New York City and a peaceful look on her face. She remembers that moment from 4 months ago. This is the moment where she randomly told Quinn that she was in love with her. Rachel did not expect Quinn to answer back, she just had a feeling and she wanted to share it. But when Quinn answered « I love you, too. », it became the best day of your life.

She feels herself being picked up by strong arms and the pain is back and right now, she wants Quinn more than ever.

_**Choir Room**_

The first shot rang and there is a defeaning silence in the room. Everyone is frozen in place, a few seconds after that, they hear a scream, obviously a guy, and another shot.

Nobody moves and you can literally hear the ticking of the clock before another scream is being heard, but this time in the room.

« Oh God, Rachel, where is Rachel ? » Quinn yells, a shaky voice and a sense of dread envelopping her entire body.

Will Schuester is stuck. Shots were fired, someone fired a gun in McKinley High School. He never thought it would happen. Sure, school shootings had happened, but he never thought it would happen in Lima, Ohio. Quinn's screams bring him back to reality. Rachel was still not accounted for and two shots were fired.

He starts to move to the door and then he hears Figgins over the PA system, initiating a lockdown of the school. So, he locks his door as he's supposed to do. But then, he's pushed by none other than Quinn Fabray who is in hysterics, trying to unlock the door.

Santana is behind her, trying to keep her in place with Puck's help.

« Come on,Q. Don't do anything stupid. Rachel is probably safe. »

« S. let me go. I need to find her. » Quinn cries.

Santana envelops Quinn into a hug, trying to calm the blonde while trying to calm herself as well. She is also about to get into panic mode and from the looks all around, everyone is about to snap.

Schuester tries to reassure his students, but it would be better if he could keep the small stuttering out of his voice. He is interrupted by a very loud noise at the door. And everyone jumps in the air.

« Mr Schuester, open the door, I need help. » they hear from outside the door.

« That's Karofsky. » Puck says.

« David, is that you ? » Will asks.

« Yes, Mr Schuester. I need you to open the door, I need help. Berry, she's... Rachel... blood. » he cannot form a coherent sentence and he is hysterical.

Will runs to the door and opens it and the sight in front of him is enough to make him sick. David Karofsky is carrying Rachel in his arms and there is blood everywhere.

« Oh God! » He yells , because that's all that comes to mind. He runs to his phone and calls 911. And what he sees next breaks his heart. He sees Karofsky laying Rachel on the floor, still applying pressure to the wound which seems to be on the chest And he sees Quinn, running towards Rachel, sliding on the floor yelling « no, no, no, no, no » and he sees the rest of his club, some of themalready in tears.

All they can do is wait, wait for the paramedics to show up and save Rachel's life. Quinn can barely breathe because she sees her love dying before her eyes, and because there is nothing she can do about it. She sees Rachel barely able to focus, so she talks to Rachel, hoping that the brunette can still focus on the sound of her voice.

« Come on baby, stay with me, look at me. » she cries and Rachel turns to look at her blonde angel. But something is wrong, her vision is hazy and she has a hard time keeping her eyes open.

« Sleep, I need to sleep. » the brunette rasps.

« No, no, no. Rach, stay awake, focus, stay with me baby. Don't you dare leaving me. » Quinn still cries, tears on her face. She is frightened beyond belief, she can feel her heart starting to break and it hurts. She puts her hand on Rachel's cheek and she winces at how cold and clammy the girl feels. She knows she's losing her, and she can't bear it.

She looks at Santana, almost pleading, asking her to perform some kind of miracle but the latina girl is frozen, tears running and she looks scared to death and apologetic. She wishes she could do something, but what ? Then Quinn's eyes land on Brittany. The girl is sitting in a chair next to Santana, eyes closed, rocking back and forth, whispering « please, please, please » to herself.

« Where are they ? » Quinn yells to Schuester.

« I don't know, on their way. » He says in panic. He doesn't know what to do.

Rachel has now a weird feeling in her body, it's like she's starting to detach herself from it and it scares the hell out of her. This can't be how it ends. Not like that, not now. Quinn. She can't leave Quinn alone. She tries to fight it, but the feeling becomes even more intense and she's trying harder, but she's losing the fight. Her eyes are so heavy and it hurts to even breathe.

And then things turn even worse, Rachel's breathing becomes erratic, and the girl is going into shock. And Quinn knows this is a very very bad sign. « Oh God, no. Come on Rach, don't do this to me. Please baby, you gotta fight this. Please. » she pleads and begs and cries, trying to look in those deep brown eyes that she loves so much.

« Love you, Angel. » is what Rachel says softly trying to focus on Quinn one last time.

But these eyes are now closed and all hells breaks loose, when Rachel's body goes limp.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: New update. Sorry, it should have come yesterday, but I came home so late that I didn't feel like turning on the computer. Again, thanks for all the story alerts and reviews. You guys are really awesome! Regarding this chapter, I apologize in advance if there is any "medical" incoherences, because I am not in the medical field nor do I have any special knowledge of it and this is a very small portion of the chapter, and finally this is not an ER fanfic. ;) So, don't be offended by the mistakes should you work into the medical field. **

**That's all for now! On to the chapter.  
**

« No, Rachel! » Quinn now wails. She's at a loss, this cannot be happening. This is a nightmare, she has to wake up right now, she can't take it anymore. But she looks around the room and this is no nightmare, this is real life. Puck seems compeltely lost. Finn is pacing reapeating « this is not happening, this is not happening » to himself over and over again. Mercedes and Tina are on the floor, devastated. And she's brought back by Karofsky's scream.

« What do I do , Mr Schue, she's got no pulse and she's not breathing ? » he cries. Yes, David Karofsky is crying like a baby. A girl he has tormented for years put herself in front of a bullet for him and is now dying.

Kurt appears at his side out of nowhere, and starts administering CPR to Rachel, hoping it might help. But then again, we're talking about a gunshot wound. He knows he can't hurt her, but it might not help at all. So, he's trying anyway, because she has to come back, she cannot die. This girl is invincible in his mind, she's stronger than the twelve of them combined. This cannot be how it ends. His eyes meet Quinn's and he sees the utter pain that she's going through. This girl has been through so much hell the past two years and he knows the brunette is the reason she now has an almost permanent smile on her face. So, just for her, he has to try. Just so he can see that smile again, and because if he's honest with himself, just so he can see the brunette smile as well. When she smiles, it's like she lights up the room she's in. Yes, Rachel and Kurt were not the best of friends, but that's because they are so much alike, it's scary. Divas, being raised with no mother, dressing and talking differently, standing for who they are, proud to be who they are. It's like they are two parts of the same soul. Yes, they're soulmates in the philosophical sense of the term.

Quinn sees Kurt trying to revive her girlfriend and she knows why he's doing it. Because Rachel has confessed to her that while they often don't see eye to eye, Kurt and herself are like twins. And Rachel would do anything for Kurt, even if the boy doesn't know it. But deep down, Quinn now knows that Kurt would do the exact same thing for Rachel because he's proving it right now. And right now, she prays to whoever wants to listen to spare Rachel's life. Because she needs Rachel's light in her life, she needs to hear her voice and her adorable way of rambling, she needs to see her bright smile in the morning, she needs to hear her infectious laugh. She just needs Rachel.

Kurt is crying and counting at the same time, while he continues to press on Rachel's chest. he pleads with her to come back. Karofsky looks at the scene, his hand still on the brunette, still on the wound. Then he hears running in the hallway, he sees Mr Schuester waving someone at the door and suddenly the paramedics are pushing everyone out of the way, except Kurt who is still on Rachel.

« Ok, kid ? how long have you been doing that ? » a tall blonde man asks Kurt ?

« A little more than a minute. » he says

« Ok. kid, you've done a good job, now let go and let us take care of your friend. »

Kurt backs off, while another paramedic hooks up Rachel with what seems to be a small defibrillator. And a sound that Quinn wishes she had never heard is taking over the room. It's the sound of a flatline.

And Rachel is shocked once, still the sound of the flatline. And the paramedic yells « clear » a second time and another shock is delivered. Still that same damn sound. And a third « clear » is heard before a third shock is being delivered. And this time, there is a small beep that can be heard and Quinn can breathe again. Kurt is at her side, she hadn't noticed him before. And she also notices that Santana is standing on the other side and holding Quinn.

« All right, we've got a rythm, bag her and let's go. » yells the blonde paramedic.

In less that a minute, Rachel is put on a gurney and the paramedics are heading towards the exit. Every single member of the Glee Club follows and head outside for the first time since they heard the first gunshot. And they are stopped by men in uniforms. And suddenly the air is sucked out of everyone's lungs. In their fear of losing their Captain, they forgot that a second gunshot had been heard that day.

They can see a black bag being zipped up and they know that another student is in there.

« I'm sorry, Sir. But for now, everyone must remain in their classroom. » a cop says to Schuester.

« But officer, one of my students has been shot and is on the way to hospital and we need to follow. » Schuester pleads.

« I understand, but not right now. Can you help us understand what happened ? » he asks.

« We were in the choir room when we heard a gunshot and then a second one and then David Karofsky, here » he says pointing at Karofsky "shows up with Rachel Berry in his arms. » Schuester answers.

« Rachel Berry is the girl that has been shot. »

« Yes. »

« Mr Karofsky, could you tell us what happened exactly ? » the officer turns to Karofsky.

Karofsky hesitates, but he tells the story. That he went to his locker, he tells about the slushie, he says that Jacob came to him and threatened him. And he tells them that Rachel took the bullet for him and that Jacob turned the gun on himself.

« All right, Mr Karofsky, we will need you to make a deposition at the station. In the meantime, Mr Schuester, let us finish and then you can go. I hope that girl makes it, she sounds like a true hero. » he says to the group before he leaves them. Everyone heads back into the choir room, but then Quinn loses it and attacks Karofsky. She punches him with all her might and she feels Santana and Brittany trying to pry her off Karofsky.

« She would have been in the choir room if it weren't for you and your fucking slushies. » Quinn screams. « It's your fault she was shot, I can't believe that she saved your miserable and pathetic life. » Another punch is thrown and this time it's Puck and Finn who manage to get her off Karofsky. David cannot help but think he deserves every ounce of Quinn's wrath. He looks at her and sees pure hatred in her eyes.

« If she dies, you die Karofsky. » she says strongly and it sends chills throughout his body, especially when Puck punches him with all his might, throwing him on the floor.

« For your sake, you better hope Berry fucking makes it, Karofsky. » Puck says menacingly.

« Guys, stop it. » Mr Schuester says loudly. « Jacob is dead and Rachel is barely alive. Now is not the time. »

« Who cares about Jewfro, Mr Schue. He shot Rachel. » says Puck.

« Puck. That's enough. That's exactly the reason why Jacob did what he did. »

« Don't excuse him, Mr Schue. » An angry Mercedes suddenly pipes in. She has tear marks all over her face. « We all have been bullied at one point or another by the popular kids, by the jocks. Rachel, Artie, Tina, Kurt and myself have been slushied, thrown into dumpsters, insulted, humiliated, Kurt is being shoved into lockers and Artie has been pushed down the stairs and locked in a port-a-potty but you don't see us bringing guns in school and shooting people. »

« I'm not defending him, Mercedes. What he did today is simply unforgivable. I'm just stating that it was the reason he did it. I'm just saying that today shouldn't have happened. But Jacob is dead and Rachel... » he says not finishing the sentence. He doesn't want to say it, he doesn't want to believe it. "I'm just saying all of this could have been avoided." he sighed, sitting down as the events of the day started to catch up with him.

"Yes, it could have, if only someone in this goddamn school would listen." Kurt started yelling all of sudden. "I went to Figgins three times in the past two months about this neanderthal" he pointed at Karofsky, "shoving me into lockers and threatening to punch me. All I got was "I'm sure he was just joking or some kind of snide remark by Coach Sylvester about toughening up. Rachel has been complaining to Figgins as well about the daily slushie facials and yet the slushie machine is still in the cafeteria. Nobody listens, Mr Schue."

Just as Kurt was finishing his rant, Emma Pillsbury arrived in the classroom, it was obvious she had been crying. She looked at Will with sadness in her eyes, how could she have miss the signs, what could she have done to prevent this. What kind of guidance counsellor is she, more absorbed by her own private problems that she forgot her students. She wasn't doing her job, and she felt guilty. She looked at Karofsky "David, the officers want you to go with them to take your statement", then she turned to the rest of the glee clubbers who seemed completely lost, "the rest of you are free to go. Rachel's dads have been notified and they're on their way to the hospital."

At these words, Quinn was the first one out the door. Her only thought, get to the hospital. She was stopped by Puck.

"Puck, what are you doing ?" she growled.

"I'm driving, Fabray, you're in no condition to drive." he said softly looking into her eyes.

"Thanks Puck." she whispered.

Eleven students, one teacher and one guidance counsellor piled up into 3 cars and made their way to Lima Memorial as quickly as they could.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N****: All right, I know it's been a month since I updated. Two major reasons. One, just life. I had suddenly so many things to do and barely had the time to catch my breath. But things finally quieted down, so I'm back. Second reason, I'm re-working some of the chapters already written before posting them. Yes, good news, i'm already ahead in the writing, but as I said, I'm making a few changes here and there so don't expect an update every day, but hopefully it won 't be a month until the next update. ;)**

**A/N 2****: From this moment on, we're diving into the inner turmoil of our gleeks as they're awaiting news on our favorite diva. And we get a better look at their history through some flashbacks (in italic). First up is Brittany (and yes, i'm making a bit smarter than she is on the show). **

**A/N 3****: The characters will probably be OOC, but this is the way I want it because it fits better in the story. **

**A/N 4:Finally, thanks again for the reviews, alerts, favorites... Hope that you are still on board with me.  
**

As they entered the hospital, Quinn's eyes fell directly upon a tall african-american man with tears in his eyes. The vulnerability on his face contrasted with his tall and muscular built. She ran to him and he engulfed her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Marcus, I shouldn't have let her out of my sight." she cried and she felt a second pair of arms engulfing her and she knew those arms belonged to Rachel's other dad Eli.

"Don't worry, Quinn. It's not your fault, there is nothing you could have done. Don't blame yourself, please. Rachel wouldn't want that." Marcus soothed the crying girl.

"Any news ?" they heard a voice behind them, belonging to Finn, who uttered his first words since everything went down. The boy looked exhausted, lost and confused. His best friend had almost died today, no scratch that had actually died today and was still fighting for her life somewhere in this hospital.

"No." said Eli, turning around. "Nothing, she's in surgery, we just have to wait."

They all sat in the waiting area, looking haggard. Quinn was sandwiched between Santana and Brittany, with Santana's arms around her, while Brittany was whispering in Quinn's ear. "She's gonna be okay, Rach is going to be okay. She's a fighter, she'll make it through."

But the fact is Brittany was terrified, she tried not to show it because Quinn needed her to be strong, because Rachel needed her to be strong and because Santana needed her to be strong. Brittany knew that Santana was scared out of her mind, but tried to put up a brave front because she was Santana Lopez, a badass. Just by looking at Santana, Brittany could guess that the latina was scared, simply because whether she wanted to admit it out loud or not, Santana Lopez cared for Rachel Berry. Yes, the latina had a soft spot for the loud diva.

Brittany also liked Rachel because she was warm and small, she was like a teddy bear and often Brittany would hug the brunette like she was her own personal teddy bear. She always saw Santana smile when she did that, especially when Rachel would return the hug with her unique laugh. Brittany always saw the good in people, just like Rachel, that's the one thing they had in common, they saw past people's masks. Sure, Brittany had always been a little more observant than Rachel, but the girl had a knack for it as well. But the best thing about Rachel, in her mind, was her ability to forgive and offer second chances, even third and fourth chances in somes cases. The girl had been tormented for years by Puck, Santana, Quinn and herself, and yet now the brunette was happily dating Quinn, was friends with Santana, Puck and herself. Even Kurt and Mercedes, who had joined later on in the mocking of Rachel Berry, the girl never had a bad thing to say about them except the occasional "lesser Glee Clubbers", but that was just Rachel being Rachel. The three Glee Club self proclaimed divas were now friends. Finn had played games with her and she still forgave him time after time. Sure, the diva could be self centered at times, a little selfish and sometimes had the annoying habit of having no filter and be a little abrasive in her comments, but Rachel's best quality was her compassion and ability to forgive other people's fault. And Brittany realised that particular ability kinda overshadowed the bad traits of the diva's personality. This particular quality was inherently Rachel, after all the brunette had taken a bullet for her biggest tormentor: David Karofsky. They couldn't lose Rachel, the girl was going to make a difference, at least in their life, hell she had already made one. She had tamed the HBIC that was Quinn because when it came to Rachel, Quinn was purely and simply whipped. She could never say no to those beautiful brown eyes. And seeing Quinn so broken at the moment made her so sad. And when she thought about losing Rachel, her heart just hurt and a sob made its way past Brittany's lips and tears started to fall, but as usual Santana was there to catch those tears.

As Brittany looked into Santana's loving eyes, she couldn't help but remember the first time she met Rachel. That was also the day she met Santana and Quinn.

_It was the first day of 7th grade, Brittany was new in town, just fresh from Connecticut and she was a little bit scared. She didn't know what to expect from this new school. Her old school had been hard, she was mocked regularly. Yes, Brittany was a little slower than her schoolmates, but that didn't mean she wasn't smart in her own way. Well, that's what her dad keeps saying anyway. Her Mom always tells her that she is special because she sees things that others can't, she might not be the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to school, but when it comes to people, there is no one better than Brittany. But people at her old school only saw that she was a less than average student always needing help. She had one friend, Carrie Miller. But Carrie moved last year when her dad got an offer to work in Los Angeles. So, Brittany was left alone in her school. When her dad, a surgeon, got an offer as Head of Pediatrics in Columbus, they decided to move to Lima. The Pierces didn't want to live in a big city, so it was decided that they would live in a small town and Gordon Pierce would commute. So here she was, in front of J. middle school, ready to face the unknown. _

_When Brittany entered the building, she noticed that this school was much smaller than the one she used to go to. Her mom took her hand, and they made their way to the main office. Brittany was soon equipped with a locker number, the combination that goes with it, and a map of the school. As she tried to work out her locker combination, she was startled by a noise behind her, followed by laughters. She turned around and saw a very small brunette, on the floor with papers that looked like sheet music spread all around her. Two cheerleaders, a blonde and a brunette, stood over the brunette on the floor, laughing. _

_"Stop trying to get Finn back, midget. He wants nothing to do with the school loser. You're an embarrasment." laughed the blonde cheerleader. _

_The brunette on the floor looked at the blonde cheerleader and scoffed. She picked her papers from the floor, picked herself up from the floor and moved to her locker. The two cheerleaders exchanged a smile that meant they were up to no good. A shriek was suddenly heard. Brittany looked at the small brunette from earlier and saw that she was covered in green slime, the kind that is in those Nickelodeon shows that she watches sometimes with her younger sister. The two cheerleader and the entire student body exploded in laughter. Brittany feels kinda bad for the brunette. She looks so small and yet so strong, as she watches her close her locker and make her way to the bathroom. _

_As soon as the two cheerleaders have disappeared from the hallway, Brittany goes inside the bathroom. She sees the brunette trying to wash the slime out of her hair. _

_"Hey, are you ok ?" asks Brittany. _

_The brunette seems surprised and Brittany senses that the girl does not hear that question often. _

_"Yes." she answers simply before going back to her task. _

_"Are you sure, do you need help?"_

_The brunette raises her eyebrow. "I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but may I ask why you are talking to me? If you're planning another juvenile prank, please have the courtesy of waiting because I really cannot deal with something else right now." _

_Brittany is pretty sure there are some words in there that she will have to find in a dictionary and she is also pretty sure this is the first time she has heard someone other than an adult talk like that and starts laughing. _

_"Great." sighs the brunette. "If you are here to mock me, please do so somewhere else."_

_"I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you, but the way you talk is kinda weird."_

_"Well, I'm sorry if me expressing myself in a proper manner is offending you, but I find it's the best way for people to understand you."_

_"Because people understand what you're saying ?" Brittany asks between laughs. She likes this brunette, she's got spunk. _

_Rachel huffs. "What is it that you want exactly ?"_

_"Nothing. I just wanted to check on you. I'm Brittany, by the way. I'm new here."_

_"Ah, that explains it all!"_

_"Explain what ?" _

_"Why you're talking to me. I'm Rachel Berry. Welcome to Kennedy." _

_"Thanks, Rachel Berry. So, you're ok ? Do you need help? " Brittany asks smiling. _

_"Yes, Brittany." Rachel smiles. "I'm ok, thank you for asking. Don't worry, I'll manage on my own."_

_"All right, I need to get to first period. See you later, Rachel Berry."_

_"See you later Brittany." smiled Rachel. Maybe all hope wasn't , maybe she would have a friend this year. And with that thought, Rachel kept on cleaning herself. _

This was the first time she met Rachel. Needless to say, their next meeting didn't go as well. Indeed, Brittany being athletic went to try out for a spot on the cheerleading squad. She knew she would get it, because dance and sports were Brittany's strength. She hit it off immediately with the fiery latina from earlier. And wherever Santana was, Quinn was. Later on, during lunch period, Rachel made the mistake of trying to talk with Brittany. When Santana saw that, she made sure that Rachel knew her place. She was not to talk to cheerleaders, she was a loser, they were the elite, and Brittany was now part of their group. Santana humiliated Rachel in front of the entire cafeteria. Brittany smiled sadly at Rachel, who looked back at her and Brittany was sure she saw understanding mixed with disappointment in those brown eyes. The fact is the latina had taken Brittany under her wing and it felt good not to be mocked. And as nice as Rachel seemed to be, befriending her meant social suicide and even Brittany was smart enough to know that. So she took the easy way out, Santana, Quinn and popularity.

Thankfully, a few years later she would be able to make amends and apologize to the brunette diva, but even if Rachel forgave her, it did not erase the years of bullying that Rachel went through at the hands of the cheerleaders and the jocks, Santana and Quinn leading the bandwagon. And Brittany would always feel guilty, no matter how many times Rachel told her that she had forgiven them for that. Brittany might not have done something directly to Rachel like throw a slushie, tripped her, but she had never once stood up for her and she did participate in the name calling more than once.

The memory faded in Brittany's mind and she was back in the waiting room, with Santana comforting her.

"S. I don't want Rachel to die." the blonde whispered in Santana's ear, softly crying.

"I know, baby. Me neither and you'll see she's going to be okay. She's a tough cookie." Santana whispered back, hating the sight of her crying girlfriend and trying her best to comfort her. Brittany knew better than anybody just how tough the diva was. So, she let herself believe Santana. She smiled at her girlfriend.

"She is, isn't she ?" she said softly. "She's our Rachel. It's going to take a lot more to stop her, right ?"

"Yes, baby. A lot more." Santana said, her voice wavering a little. She wanted to believe what she was saying, but she couldn't help the "What if" that invaded her mind. She shook her head, no she couldn't think this way. Rachel will make it and all will be right with the world. And as Santana looks at a heartbroken Quinn in front of her, she prays to God to fix this situation.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N****: Ok, new chapter. As I said, in the previous chapter, we're diving inside our Gleeks mind and get a better feel of Quinn and Rachel's relationship through their eyes until I get to Quinn herself (who, of wourse, will be the last). So, Mercedes is up for this chapter. Again, sorry for the delay in updating, but to make it up to you guys, I promise a new update tomorrow. Fear not, this story will be finished, however long it takes. I'm just asking you guys to be patient with me. **

**A/N 2****: Disclaimer. Don't own Glee, otherwise well let's just say many things would be different. Also, I'm using a song in this chapter. So, yeah I don't own the rights to Katy Perry's **_**Hummingbird Heartbeat**_**. Why I used this song ? Well, let me just say, I'm not a big fan of Katy Perry but I can't deny her songs are quite catchy and fun to listen to. Especially when I have no choice due to my sister listening to them in repeat. This one kinda stuck with me and I find it fun because if it can pass as a small innocent song or an overtly sexual song depending on where your mind is (Mine always in the gutter, so... lol). Plus, we all know Katy Perry's songs are full of naughty bits, so... Anyway, I could have chosen a song with a deeper meaning, but I wanted to use a song, upbeat and fun, so since I've been hearing this one quite a lot due to my wonderful sis, you're stuck with that one too... Sorry! **

Mercedes was looking around the room and saw the sadness reflected in everyone's eyes. She had her head on Artie's shoulder and sighed. She was often among the first ones to judge Rachel and sometimes even mock her, although things had definitely gotten better recently. But that was because they were both divas and that's how divas treat each other, it doesn't mean Mercedes doesn't like Rachel. On the contrary, Mercedes loves the brunette, she loves her voice, her laugh, her smile and her larger than life personality. Sure, the two of them clashed , because they fought for the solos in Glee but they were in competition. But what Mercedes loved most of all was Rachel's voice. Mercedes knew she had a great singing voice, but Rachel was just so much better in her mind. The girl didn't even have to try and the most beautiful sounds would escape that loud mouth. Hearing Rachel sing was always something extraordinary. She remembered Sectionals in their sophomore year, when the brunette started singing Don't Rain On My Parade, Mercedes had been in awe. She could never have done that, but Rachel...Yes,she was something else. The entire glee club had been entranced behind the curtain when they heard Rachel perform that song that they almost missed their cue.

And right now, the idea that they might not hear her again was something Mercedes couldn't fathom. She didn't want to believe it, Rachel had to survive just so the entire world, and not just Lima, could hear that voice.

As Mercedes eyes landed on Quinn, she couldn't help but feel pain at the heartbroken cheerleader in front of her. The blonde girl seemed so lost and hurt that Mercedes heart ached for her. It was always a surprise to her to actually witness the depth of Quinn's love for Rachel and vice versa. At the beginning, she had truly believed Quinn was setting up Rachel for the ultimate humiliation and she had words with the blonde cheerleader. These words had evolved into a full blown argument when Mercedes was refusing to believe Quinn when the blonde was explaining over and over that she was in love with Rachel and this was no joke. The argument had stopped and Mercedes had warned the blonde that she would keep an eye on her. When Quinn and Rachel had made their relationship public, Mercedes had started to feel a little bit overprotective of the diva not wanting to see her get hurt this way.

But one day, everything changed.

_One evening, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina and Mike were hanging out and seemingly bored when Kurt suggested that they go out. At first, they drove around no sure where they were going, when Mike suggested this karaoke bar outside of Lima. When they parked, Kurt noticed Rachel's car right away. _

_"Guys, Rachel's car is here." Kurt said. _

_"What is she doing here ?" asked Mercedes looking around her. " This is so not a Rachel Berry scene." she laughed. _

_"She must be with Quinn, because when I asked her if she was joining us tonight, she told me that she had a date with Quinn tonight." Tina chimed in. _

_"And their date includes a weird looking karaoke bar like that outside the city." Mercedes said. " I knew it." she mumbled. _

_"Knew what ?" Kurt asked, eyebrow raised. _

_"Quinn is taking her on dates where no one knows them and they don't risk running into someone they know. She's still ashamed of being seen with Diva."_

_"I don't understand, they're out at school so why would she be ashamed. It doesn't make sense." Tina said. _

_"I told you guys, Quinn and Rachel, this is wrong."_

_When Mercedes saw Kurt's face almost drop, she backtracked. "Not in the girl likes girl way, Kurt. You know I'm totally down with the gays. But in the Quinn, Head Cheerleader likes Rachel, Queen of the Gleeks, way. I'm sure Quinn wants to hurt Rachel."_

_Mike who had been silent the whole time decided to intervene. _

_"Man, Mercedes, you've got it all wrong. First of all, I'm guessing Rachel is the one that brought Quinn here because Rachel hangs out here all the time. The two times, me and Matt went here before he transferred, she was there, the bar's owner is a friend of the Berrys. Second of all, do you hear yourself ? Have you ever taken the time to look at Rachel and Quinn when they're not with other people, that should tell you exactly how Quinn is so not playing Rachel."_

_Tina smiled at Mike. Her boyfriend wasn't the most talkative guy she knew but whenever he had something to say, it was straight to the point. _

_"Listen, Mercedes, when we enter the bar, spot them and observe them. You'll see what I'm talking about." he finished before taking Tina's hand and heading towards the entrance. _

_The 4 teenagers made their way into the bar and took a seat in a corner booth. They spotted Quinn right away, sitting alone in a booth not far from the stage. She had a smile on her face, a smile that Mercedes had never seen before. Suddenly, a tall short-haired brunette interrupted Mercedes's thoughts by announcing that the first "karaoke contestant" for the night was up. _

_"Take it away, Rach." the short-haired brunette winked as Rachel Berry appeared next to her. Rachel took her spot center stage with the microphone and motioned to the band behind her. _

_"I thought, it was karaoke ?" Tina asked Mike. _

_"It is. But not the standard version. You've got a real live band instead of a tv and sound system and you better know lyrics by heart because they're not displayed on a screen. But other than that, anyone is welcome to sing, whether you are good or not. It's actually a lot of fun." Mike explained. He remembered singing with Rachel and Matt once, it had been so much fun. _

_Rachel finished talking to the band and her eyes like a heat seeking missile locked on Quinn and a huge smile appeared in her face. Mercedes and Kurt were in awe, Rachel was always smiling, but it was often for show, but this was genuine. Her eyes lit up instanstly when she saw Quinn, followed by a wink. And to Mercedes surprise, the blonde responded with a blinding smile of her own and suddenly Mercedes understood what Mike was talking about. Nobody could fake this. Rachel and Quinn were alone (not even aware that 4 other McKinley students had crashed their party), no one to impress, just the two of them. _

_As the first notes of Katy Perry's "Hummingbird Heartbeat" played, Kurt laughed. " Oh My God." He had not expected this song from Miss Rachel Berry, but then again Rachel had ways of always surprising him. This song was a mixture between sappy love song and lyrics that would make his own dad do a double take (Did I hear this correctly ? kind of double take). This was daring for Rachel Berry. _

**_You make me feel like I'm losing my virginity_**

**_The first time every time when you touch me_**

**_I make you bloom like a flower that you never seen_**

**_Under the sun we are one buzzing energy_**

**_Let's pollinate to create a family tree_**

**_This evolution with you comes naturally_**

**_Some call it science we call it chemistry_**

**_This is the story of the birds and the bees_**

_Rachel never broke eye contact with Quinn, she was singing directly to her and Mercedes was watching Quinn who was looking embarrassed to be the recipient of such a song and elated at the same time. It was weird mixture but it suited Quinn. The blonde had never looked so happy before, she was positively glowing. The smirk that Rachel was sporting made the blonde cheerleader flush even more. And in Mercedes' mind, suddenly, there was no doubt anymore. Quinn, as good an actress as she was, right now, looked like a teenager completely in love. _

**_Even the seasons change_**

**_Our love still stays the same_**

**_You give me the hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Spread my wings and make me fly_**

**_The taste of your honey is so sweet_**

**_When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_I've flown a million miles just to find a magic seed_**

**_A white flower with the power to bring life to me_**

**_You're so exotic my whole body fluttering_**

**_Constantly craving for a taste of your sticky sweet_**

**_I was on the brink of a heart attack_**

**_You gave me life and keep me coming back_**

**_I see the sun rise in your eyes, your eyes_**

**_We've got a future full of blue skies, blue skies_**

**_Even the seasons change_**

**_Our love still stays the same_**

_The sexiness that Rachel was displaying on stage was somewhat new to the teenagers and they were a bit awestruck. This was a new side of Rachel Berry. As Mercedes took a look around the bar, she noticed that the patrons were literally in transe. They were watching her every move. Mercedes shook her head, smiling. The girl was meant to be on stage, that was for sure, but the confidence she exulted was somewhat different than what she was used to from her. And this was only due to her relationship with Quinn. Mercedes couldn't deny it anymore. And she felt a bit jealous, because she knew right then and there that Rachel Berry had found her inspiration, her muse. After having seen Rachel with Finn, Puck or Jesse, Mercedes realized that Rachel had never been in love with any of them because none of these guys were causing the sparkle and fire in her eyes like now, brown eyes locked on hazel eyes, or a different attitude on stage like having the guts to sing a song with so many sexual innuendos and teasing Quinn at the same time. _

_Mercedes made the promise to herself to go apologize to Quinn because what she was witnessing between the two girls was just love at its purest form. _

**_You give me the hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Spread my wings and make me fly_**

**_The taste of your honey is so sweet_**

**_When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_You love me, you love me_**

**_Never love me not, not, oh no_**

**_When we hear a perfect harmony_**

**_You make me sound like, like a symphony_**

**_Spread my wings and make me fly_**

**_The taste of your honey is so sweet_**

**_When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_You give me the hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Spread my wings and make me fly_**

**_The taste of your honey is so sweet_**

**_When you give me the hummingbird heartbeat, hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat_**

**_Oh oh_**

**_Hummingbird heartbeat _**

_As the last note played out, the whole bar erupted in applause. Rachel smiled, hopped of the stage and joined Quinn. The kiss that followed between the two girls was making Mercedes blush. _

_"Well, between this song and this kiss." Tina said. "I have no doubt about the status of their relationship." she laughed. _

_"Yes, gave us more information than we were looking for. " Kurt followed. _

_"What do you mean ?" Mercedes asked, not really following. _

_"Oh, they're totally doing it. " Tina finished. _

_Mercedes smiled as she watched the two girls in a very heated liplock, hands roaming, only to be interrupted by wolf whistles and catcalls erupting in the bar. In a very Rachel Berry fashion, Rachel smiled shyly and buried her face in Quinn's neck, while Quinn, flushing a deep red was laughing._

_"Shall we join them ?" asked Tina to the others. _

_"Tina, baby. They're on a date, I doubt they want us to crash their party. And from what we just witnessed, I'm guessing it won't be long before they leave, anyway." he said gently. _

_"Your asian counterpart is right." Kurt said. "I'm guessing Faberry will be fogging up the car quite soon enough." _

_"Faberry, seriously ?" Mercedes asked, eyebrow raised. _

_"What's Faberry ?" Tina asked; _

_"Fabray and Berry." answered Mike. When Tina laughed , he groaned. "That's what it does to me, when you make me hang out with Kurt and Mercedes, I start gossiping like a chick." _

_And as predicted, Mercedes saw the two girls leaving the bar, totally focused on each other and completely unaware of the fact that the 4 of them had been witnessing the events of the past half hour. _

Mercedes remembered the pure happiness on Quinn's face that night and the months that followed, up until today. And seeing the pain and the hurt going through the hazel eyes right now was almost impossible to bear for the diva. She leaned even more on Artie's shoulder and started crying softly. She felt Artie putting his arms around her, whispering words of comfort.

"Come on, Cedes, you'll see. Diva will be alright." she suddenly heard Kurt next to her. _She had to be_, he thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N****: All right, as promised another update today. Kurt is now up. And some more Faberry cuteness (don't get used to it, they won't always be cute). Also, I know you all want to know what I have planned for Rachel, but you're gonna have to wait (just like our Gleeks in the hospital) - ;D Be patient. Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews, alerts and favorites. You guys rock!**

**A/N 2****: I will be altering the timeline for certain events as I see fit (we're a little bit AU anyway, so..). I will keep the Rachel/Finn breakup around December their junior year. But as I said in the beginning, the reason of their breakup will be completely different (no cheating with Puck etc..) and Quinn/Rachel are together sometimes around February, Junior year. Hope that's not too confusing. **

As he said those words to Mercedes, Kurt wasn't even sure he actually believed them. His gaze dropped, as he replayed in his head the horror that took place in the choir room, when suddenly he saw that his hands were bloody. Ever since he had performed that CPR in the choir room, his hands were covered in Rachel's blood. Looking down at his hands, he wanted to cry and a sob almost made it past his lips. But he swallowed it, this was not the time. But he had to wash his hands, the sight of Rachel's blood was unbareable and made him sick to his stomach.

This couldn't be happening he thought. He wanted to wake up and find himself in bed relieved that it was just a nightmare. But unfortunately, it was reality and he realised that the last time he talked to Rachel could have been just that: The last time. And what did he say to her ? He can't remember exactly but he's pretty sure that it had something to do with her clothes.

Sure, things had gotten better, especially after the way Rachel has supported him through the Karofsky debacle and his burgeoning relationship with Blaine. But still, sometimes the diva in Kurt took over and while the mockery was not as harsh as it used to be since it was now more of a private joke between him and Rachel, he wished his last words to her hadn't been "God, sometimes I wish I was blind so that I wouldn't be subjected to this monstrosity." Yes, now he remembered. The kitten sweater had made another appearance and Kurt had to say something. Sure, Rachel had just smiled at him and winked, basically telling him that she had done it just to annoy him. It was now kinda of a game between them. Indeed, her fashion sense had deeply improved when she started dating Quinn, but every so often, an ugly sweater or her awful penny loafers/ tights deathly combo made their way out. Kurt had figured out that Rachel was doing it to mess with him. And just like that, Kurt was voicing his opinion about her outfit out loud.

So, while the jibe had been in good fun, Kurt wished his last words to his fellow diva had been deeper. He felt guilty. The rational part of his brain knew he couldn't have predicted what was about to happen and so his last words were part of an everyday conversation, the emotional part of his brain wished he could have told her something a little bit more meaningful.

He hoped that everything would turn out okay for Rachel as he was not ready to live his life without her. Actually, as he took a look at his fellow teammates and friends, he knew none of them were. He didn't know how it happened or when it happened, but the brunette diva had managed to make everyone care. It took time and persistance, but she did it. She had won their hearts. He always knew Rachel was no quitter, but when they all joined Glee Club during sophomore year, the way she was treated, almost everyone in her situation would have given up, but she didn't. No, she pushed forward, breaking their walls one by one. And now, before anyone had realized it, she was the center of them all. And the center of a certain blonde's universe. Kurt's gaze fell upon Quinn at this thought and he almost cried on the spot at the cheerleader's distress. He knew Rachel was her anchor and now she seemed so lost and hurt. Seating in this waiting area, in this awful hospital, awaiting news on whether the brunette would make it or not, he couldn't bear it anymore.

"I need to go wash my hands." he whispered quietly. Mercedes and Artie heard him and without thinking their gaze fell upon Kurt's hands, dried blood covering them. They both looked at him, tears in their eyes and nodded. He slowly got up and found the nearest bathroom. He started to wash his hands and without realizing he was even doing it, his movements became frantic, trying to get the blood off. The tears that had threatened to spill earlier finally made their way out and Kurt was now openly crying. Suddenly, he felt a comfort embrace. He turned around and found Blaine.

"Blaine, you're here." he said trying to get his sobbing under control to no avail.

"I got your message and drove here as fast as I could." Blaine answered softly. "Is there any news?"

"No, she's still in surgery. Oh God, Blaine what if she dies." he finally said out loud. He needed to say it, to voice his fear.

"She won't. You gotta believe that, Kurt."

"You didn't see her, so much blood. She actually died, back in the choir room" he said, remembering that awful sound of that flatline. "I tried... God, I tried to get her back, but I.. I.. I..." he broke into hysterical sobs." I couldn't get her back."

Blaine let Kurt go on about what happened, Kurt needed to let it out. After a while, Kurt's cries finally subsided. The two boys were sitting on the floor of the bathroom, Blaine's arms protectively around his boyfriend. When Kurt grew quiet, Blaine kissed him, softly trying to convey love and comfort to the fragile boy next to him. Kurt's eyes met Blaine's and he smiled a little.

"I'm sorry for breaking down on you." Kurt said.

"Don't. I'm here for you, you know that. And for Rach, too." he answered. Blaine liked Rachel, sure she was loud, bossy and sometimes it felt like she was on speed half the time. But she was also kind hearted, caring, smart and widly talented. In a way, she was exactly like Kurt. She was the female version of Kurt. While Kurt was less abrupt than Rachel, he also had lots of diva moments.

"You know that she told me that she and I were soulmates. " Kurt suddenly said.

Blaine laughed. "I can actually believe that."

"Yeah ?" Kurt asked.

"Yes. You and Rachel are so alike, it's like you were twins who were separated at birth or something."

"I know." Kurt said nodding. "I never understood how alike we were when I met her. That's also probably why we clashed so much at the beginning. But now, everything is different. I love this girl and I don't want to lose her." He said feeling overwhelmed once again.

"You won't. She'll pull through. She's strong." Blaine answered trying to sound reassuring. "She'll fight. She loves you guys and she loves Quinn too much, she won't let go that easily."

"Oh My God, Quinn. If something were to happen..." Kurt started.

"No, don't think about it." Blaine stated firmly.

'You know I was the first person to know about Quinn and Rachel finally getting together." Kurt smiled.

"No, but do tell. "Blaine said, trying to get Kurt's mind off the bad thoughts that were threatening to invade him.

"Well, I accidentally caught them in the auditorium, one day."

_Kurt was at his locker after Glee practice that day, when he saw a fight break out between Lauren Zizes and Santana over Puck. As usual, such a piece of gossip had to be shared with his fellow diva Mercedes who was nowhere in the vicinity. He reached for his phone in his pocket when he realized that his phone was not in his jacket. Kurt thought about it and he knew immediately where he had left his phone. On the piano in the auditorium where they had been reahearsing. He closed his locker and made his way to the auditorium as quickly as he could. He made his way backstage and stopped in his tracks when he heard familiar voices coming from the stage. He took a closer look and he saw Rachel sitting at the piano, while Quinn was standing behind her, hands on the brunette shoulders, her body leaning on Rachel's back. _

_At this point, Kurt was kind of curious. Sure, the two girls had been quite growing closer in the past few months and especially in the last month or so following Finn and Rachel's breakup, but this position seemed out of character for them. Before he could ponder it any further, he saw Rachel lift her head towards Quinn who leaned and the two started kissing. Kurt's jaw literally dropped at the sight. This kiss was anything but chaste. Suddenly, Lauren and Santana fighting didn't seem all that interesting. But this, this was far more juicier. _

_"You know I'm supposed to be writing a song for Regionals, here ?" Kurt heard Rachel laugh. Even the tone in her voice was different. _

_"Yeah, I know." Quinn said teasingly. _

_"And you were supposed to help me, not distract me." _

_"Yeah, I know that too. But I find that distracting you is so much better." Quinn added, leaning for another kiss which Rachel happily granted. _

_As their kiss ended, they both sighed happily, still unaware they had an audience. Quinn sat next to the diva, on the piano bench and looked at her, a smile adorning her face. _

_"So, when do you want to tell the others about us ?" Quinn asked a little bit more seriously. _

_Rachel sighed. "I don't know, don't you think it might be too soon. I mean, not that I'm ashamed of you ,or us or anything, after all I do have two gay dads and homophobia is nothing new to me, but I'm not sure I want to subject you to this kind of behavior that will surely be coming from the neanderthals that compose the student body of this oh so wonderful establishment." she finished, with a sarcastic tone in her voice. "Look what happened to Kurt, he almost transferred because of that."_

_Quinn's smile got even bigger at Rachel's answer and Kurt smiled too, remembering how Rachel had been here for him when it mattered. and right then and there, he made the promise to himself tor return the favor. _

_"And I lo- like you a lot for that." Quinn started and Kurt swore she was bout to say "Love" and that surpised him a little. "But I can take care of myself. And those neanderthals as you put it don't scare me. I'm still HBIC, I'm still top dog at McKinley and they know it." _

_"I know, Quinn. It's just, I don't want anything bad to happen to you."_

_"It won't." Quinn firmly stated. " And the hell with wathever people think. The people that matter know about me being gay, My mom, S and B."_

_"Yes, I know. But..." Rachel continued feeling hesitant all of a sudden. _

_"But what ?" Quinn asked. Rachel turned around. "Come on, Rach. Don't shut me out, what is it ? You're not the type to care what people think, why the sudden change ?"'_

_"I don't care what those miscreants think." Rachel suddenly said. "But I'm afraid."_

_"Afraid of what ?" Quinn asked, she was confused. Rachel, as far as she knew, had always been brave, not scared of anything, the gossips, the torments and so on. _

_"How people are going to react with us being a couple, not as two girls, but as Quinn Fabray, the top dog of McKinley as you so eloquently put it, dating me, Rachel Berry mayor of Loserville."' she finished almost in a whisper. " I know your popularity means a lot to you."_

_Kurt's heart ached at the display of vulnerability he was witnessing from the brunette. It was so rare to see Rachel with her defenses down. _

_Quinn took Rachel's hand "Baby". Kurt saw Rachel raise an eyebrow at the term of endearment and he stifled a laugh at the sight. Quinn chuckled. "If people accepted you with Finn, they will accept you with me because I'm a hell of a lot more popular than him. And we do have a secret weapon, if they give us trouble." she said. _

_"And what is that mysterious secret weapon ?" Rachel asked smiling. _

_"Santana Lopez." Quinn answered proudly. "She will make their lives miserable if they so much look at us the wrong way." _

_"That, I do believe. I have seen first hand what she can do and I don't wish it on anyone." Rachel said. Quinn's smile dropped at those words and Kurt swore he saw Rachel mentally slap herself. She pulled Quinn closer to her, and forcing the cheerleader to look at her in the eyes. "Hey, hey, Quinn, we already discussed that. The past is the past and I am over it. I have forgiven you for it, so stop dwelling on it."_

_"Yes, I know but sometimes I wonder how you could have forgiven years of torment just like that." Quinn said and Kurt had to agree with her. But then again, Rachel's greatest strength was her compassion. _

_Rachel did not answer, she just put her hands on either side of Quinn's face and kissed her. A kiss that was soon evolving into a full blown make out session right there in the middle of auditorium. Kurt decided he had seen enough but he still had his phone to get. And his phone was right there on the piano. he was trying to think of a solution, when the solution came to him in the form of William Schuester. _

_"Kurt, what are you doing here ?" he heard Mr Schue behind him. The voice was so unexpected that it made Kurt jump 3 feet in the air, a hand on his heart. He turned around and was face to face with Mr Schue. _

_"Mr Schuester, you almost gave me a heart attack." he said trying to get his breathing under control. "I forgot my phone, I just came to get it." Kurt took a look at the stage and saw that Rachel and Quinn had separated and Quinn was now standing on the other side of the piano facing Rachel, looking completely innocent, like they weren't making out a few seconds ago. _

_"Ah okay." was Schuester's answer before he made his way to the small table backstage to retrieve some of his files. And just like that, Schuester was gone. Kurt made his way to the stage to finally retrieve his phone. _

_The silence between the three teenagers was a little overwhelming. Kurt picked up his phone and was about to turn around when Rachel broke the silence. _

_"ok, Kurt. How much did you see and hear ?" she asked bluntly. Leave it to Rachel to just go straight to the point. _

_"Enough..." he started "to know that you two are the cutest couple I've ever seen." he finished laughing nervously. Quinn and Rachel groaned at the same time and Kurt found it absolutely adorable. _

_"Kurt, you cannot tell anyone what you saw." Quinn said to him, seriously. "Not even Mercedes." she added for good measure. Kurt was about to reply when Rachel cut him off. _

_"Kurt, please let us tell the others at our own pace. We will do it. Soon." she said staring directly at Quinn, answering her question from earlier. "But in the meantime, please keept it to yourself." she pleaded and Kurt couldn't refuse her._

_"Okay. But be careful where you make out next time. You're lucky it was me and not Puckerman. He would have had a field day with this, because his baby mama and his hot jew together, you guys are supplying with wonderful mental imagery." Kurt laughed. "And on these words, I will leave you to what you were doing."_

_He started to make his way out, but suddenly he stopped, turned around, looked at the girls. "For whatever it's worth, I think you guys are good together and I've got your backs whatever happens."_

_Quinn and Rachel smiled brightly at him. "Thanks, Kurt" came the simultaneous reply. _

Kurt smiled at the memory. Blaine let him go, got up and took his hand to help him up. "Come on, Kurt. Let's go back to the others. Quinn needs all the support she can get right now." he just said. Kurt smiled at his boyfriend, dropped a chaste kiss on his lips and they got out of the bathroom. Blaine sat down and Kurt went to sit down next to him, but before he could, he went to Quinn, knelt in front of her. The cheerleader looked at him and he engulfed her in a hug. He heard her whisper "_I love her so much_." Kurt answered in a whisper of his own "_She knows." _He kissed her forehead and went to sit back next to Blaine, took his hand in his own and now all they could do was wait.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N****: I know it's been long since my last update, but to be honest my personal life has been in chaos lately, and other things took priority. Thanks to those who are still here, I know how annoying it can get when the updates are not regular, but I will be trying to get them quicker than that for the rest. I just hope you're not getting frustrated with me. **

**A/N 2**: **I've tackled Sam and Schuester in this chapter (two birds with one stone). A little glimpse into Puck's feelings, but Puck's chapter will come later. Next chapter will tackle three more characters (Tina and Mike and Emma) and we will get to the final characters and move on with the action (which I know you're all waiting for.)**

**A/N3****: I will try to get you the next chapter before the end of the week, since I'm leaving Saturday for Dublin and will be back around May, 2nd. **

Sam Evans had never been in this kind of situation before. He had moved around the country a lot and he didn't really had time to make friends before. But this time was different. He had never been so glad to be part of a team before.

These people all around him were now his friends. It had started with Finn, as he took a look a the tall boy pacing and muttering to himself, asking him to join Glee Club. Then he met Quinn Fabray, head cheerleader, blonde goddess and he dated her for two months. While he had been happy, he knew the girl's heart was not really in it and he understood why when Quinn and Rachel had gone public with their relationship.

When he joined Mckinley, he had been told by a few jocks that Quinn Fabray, HBIC and Rachel Berry, the school loser, were enemies and that if he was lucky he would witness Quinn Fabray in one of her glorious moments aka making Rachel's life miserable with a well thrown insult or a well thrown slushie. But, the fact is he actually never witnessed any of that.

Apparently over the summer break before their junior year, the two girls had reached an understanding much to the dismay of the Mckinley population (well at least jocks and Cheerios). Quinn and Rachel were almost friends. When he had started dating Quinn, he could sense that the blonde Cheerio (well, newly reinstated Cheerio) was dating him out of necessity. To regain respect and popularity following the fallout caused by her pregnancy the previous year, but he could feel she wasn't that into it or into him. So, after two months (enough for him to gain enough popularity to be at the top of McKinley), he had broken up with Quinn. She took the breakup particularly well and they parted as friends.

He must admit he never took the time to get to know Rachel Berry, even after her and Quinn had started dating. At first, because she was the school loser and being associated with her meant social suicide and after because... well because they didn't have that much in common. But as he took a look at his teammates, in tears, devastated waiting for news on the small brunette that had taken a bullet for someone who actively tortured her, he couldn't help but feeling sorry, because maybe he wouldn't have the time to get to know the brunette. And, it seemed that she was worth knowing after all.

Sam was interrupted in his thoughts, when he felt Puck tense besides him. He looked up and saw the young man, ready to jump out of his seat, his eyes locked on a woman who was approaching the Berrys. Sam didn't know the woman but he had a feeling Puck knew who she was and by looking at him, he wasn't happy seeing her here. Sam focused his attention on the woman, talking to the Berrys. Just by looking at her, Sam felt sorry for her, she seemed devastated and had obviously been crying . Then, he saw Eli Berry stand up, a scowl on his face, almost angry.

"I don't think, now is the time Hannah. I'm asking you to respect my family at the moment and leave us alone." Eli said out loud, attracting the attention of everyone around him. Sam heard a few gasps around coming from some of his teammates. He leaned towards Puck. "Who is this ?" he asked.

"This is Jacob's mother." Puck answered him, sounding clearly upset.

"What is she doing here ?" Sam inquired again.

"How the hell should I know ?" Puck snapped.

Not wanting to upset Puck even more, Sam let it go and focused back on the situation in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Eli, I don't want to upset you. I...I...I" she stuttered, unable to finish her sentence as tears took over. "I wanted to say how sorry I am." she finished sobbing. "I just saw my son, in the morgue, and I don't understand how this happened. How..." the rest of the sentence unintelligible as she was crying so hard.

Eli's anger started to subside, because as a parent, he knew. But while Eli calmed down, Puck was getting angrier.

"Well, your son was an obsessed lunatic. That's how it happened." Puck started screaming. The woman looked at him.

"Do not disrespect my son, Noah Puckerman." she yelled back. "He is dead because of you and your stupid friends, torturing him all day long. You are all responsible for this."

At this point, everyone started yelling. Everything was getting out of hands. The only two people not participating were Quinn and Marcus. Marcus took a look at his daughter's girlfriend and she seemed completely lost in her own world, nothing seemed to register around her. Marcus sighed, he prayed that his daughter was strong enough to fight this because the blonde would be forever lost if something were to happen. Marcus had enough of the circus going on around him. He got up and started yelling.

"That's enough." his deep voice overtaking the others and paired with his imposing stature made everyone shut up instantly. "Noah, go outside and calm yourself." he said to the riled up teenager in front of him. "This is a hospital, people." Everyone looked around, and sat back down.

"Hannah." Marcus said softly, turning to face the woman who had created the tension. "We heard your apology, but with all due respect you should know that now is not the time. As parents, we understand your grief and we sympathize, but you should have some respect for us as well. What your son did is simply unforgivable in our eyes, and right now my little girl is fighting for her life because of his actions."he said, tears welling in his eyes. "So please, Hannah, understand that right now only our daughter matters and we don't want to hear your apology or explanation, this will come in due time but not now. Not when we don't even know... if..." he couldn't finish, it was too hard imagining his life without his most precious thing on earth. He shook it off. "So, please Hannah, leave us alone."

Hannah seemed to understand and nodded. "I just wanted to say how sorry I am and I hope Rachel gets through it." she whispered before leaving the room.

Marcus sat back on his chair and sighed, they hadn't needed this aggravation. It was difficult enough as it is, this waiting. He didn't like it, this waiting. As a doctor, he was used to be on the other side of the fence, he was the one trying to fix in order to bring good news to the family waiting. He felt his husband's arm around his shoulders and leaned into the embrace.

"Someone should go check on Noah." Marcus said to the people around him.

"I will go talk to him" suddenly said Mr Schuester, one of the other 2 adults present besides the Berrys.

He got up and made his way in the parking lor of Lima Memorial. Puck was sitting on the sidewalk, next to the hospital entrance, head in his hands. Will felt sorry for the poor boy. He knew the rebellious teenager had a close relationship with Rachel. Sometimes, he even felt their relationship was closer than the one she had with Finn. Yes, Will Schuester couldn't help it but be involved in his students life. He had been teaching for quite some time before he decided to take over Glee Club, and never had he been so affected by the lives of his students before and he probably never will be again. There was something to this group of teenagers. Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, Noah Puckerman, Kurt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Tina Cohen-Chang, Mike Chang, Artie Abrams, even Sam Evans would remain in his memory forever. But most of all, and probably the brightest of them all, Rachel Berry.

She had made more of an impact on him than all of the others combined. When he replaced Sandy Ryerson as coach for the Glee Club and met Rachel Berry, he knew there was something different about this girl. She was bossy, pushy, driven, stubborn, self centered, sometimes misguided (Sunshine Corazon, anyone ?) overly emotional, vulnerable, and had a heart the size of Texas, which was the reason of her forgiving nature. But most of all, the girl had the voice of an angel. A voice that would lead her to great things and it would be hypocritical of him to say that he had not been a little jealous and envious of the brunette. He knew that she would do the things he had only dreamed of. And he was in awe of her talent and jealous of it at the same time. Whenever he was in her presence, he always had conflicted emotions and she didn't make it easier for him.

Their first year in Glee Club had been a game of push and pull between the teacher and her young student. But, in the last year, they had reached an understanding and Will had become Rachel's most fervent supporter. The girl had worked on her behavior, Quinn had been the main reason for this change in her behavior, the blonde having a calming effect on the diva, and actually listened to what the teacher had to say and in exchange the teacher had become a little more involved in helping Rachel reach her goal. And it had worked wonders, the two of them worked very well together when they took the time to actually listen to each other and the last few numbers they had pulled off were simply fantastic. The win at Regionals last year had been the proof of that. No tying for first place with the Warblers like in Sectionals when he had cast Rachel aside, but they stole the whole show beating the other teams fair and square. All of this had been possible, because he had finally trusted Rachel Berry and took the time to know the girl beyond the surface. When he first dismissed her idea of doing original songs last year, he felt guilty because once again he was shooting her down, but also because he didn't think they could actually pull it off. But when she showed up with her song in hand, he had no other choice. The song was good, too good to pass up. In retrospect, he shouldn't have been surprised. Rachel breathed music like he breathed oxygen. Yes, she wanted to make it on Broadway and be a star, but in the past few months he actually discovered why. It's not the stardom that was motivating Rachel the most, it was the music. Rachel needed music in her life, music filled Rachel's soul. A day without singing was a day without sunshine for Rachel. Unlike most of his Glee members, where singing was just a hobby, something they liked to do, Rachel lived for it. And once he understood how much she actually knew about music, songs, arrangements and so on (which he had finally admitted was more then he knew himself), he teamed up with her to make their numbers even better. He had finally found the respect that Rachel had wanted from him and she had finally returned it. Their work together over the past few months was simply better than he could have ever imagined and he was sure that this year, his final year with this group of people would be the year they would take the National title.

But right now, the brunette was lying somewhere in this hospital fighting for her life and William prayed that this wouldn't be the end. Rachel had so much more to do, in Lima and beyond, way way beyond. The world needed to experience Rachel Berry and he prayed God to spare Rachel. She was still needed, she still had so much to accomplish, it was way too soon for her.

And as he sent his prayer, he sat down next to Puck.

"How are you, Puck ?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine, Mr Schue." Puck grumbled.

Schuester could see that Puck was struggling, but he was hesitant to push him. The boy always kept his cards close to his chest. He didn't deal well with feelings, so he had created this obnoxious persona. But in this moment, Schuester was looking into the eyes of an 18 year old boy, barely an adult. He wanted to find the right words to say, but how could you reassure someone when you were sick with worry yourself.

"You can talk to me Puck, you know that, right ?" the teacher just said.

"Don't worry, Mr Schue. I'm fine, you should worry about Quinn instead." He said.

"I will, but right now, I came to see you. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"I'm fine, I'm just mad that she had the balls to come talk to the Berrys like her son hadn't shot Rachel."

"She lost her son. She just wanted to apologize to the Berrys for Jacob's actions."

"Well, if she hadn't been blind, maybe all of this could have been avoided. Puck said.

"You know that's not true, Puck. I know Jacob's parents, they're good people. Jacob was just..." He couldn 't find the words.

"A psycho." Puck finished for him.

"Puck." the teacher said with a sigh.

"No, Mr Schue, don't defend him. He was a psycho, that's it."

"It's a little more complicated than that, I'm afraid Puck. I get the feeling that Jacob kept things to himself, what he was going through at school. I think his parents knew he was bullied, but I don't think they really knew the full extent of it. I think he snapped and didn't have anyone to guide him. He made a terrible choice and paid the price, and he took Rachel down with him. I'm not defending him, never. I'm just trying to understand why this happened and how could we have ALL been so blind to everything."

Puck sighed and put his head in his hands. "I guess you're right, Mr Schue. I'm just not ready to deal with all of that, yet and what it all means. For now, he's just the psycho that shot Rachel. But I know the situation is more complicated than that, but it's just..." he was almost crying at this point.

"What, Puck ?" It's what ?" the young teacher asked noticing the emotion that were swirling in the young jewish boy's eyes. They were almost shining with tears.

"It's my little Jewish American Princess, we're talking about." he said smiling. "I just don't want to lose her. I've known her since we were in diapers. I need her in my life, Mr Schue."

"I know, Puck. But Rachel is a fighter, always has been. She'll be fine, I'm sure of it." the teacher answered.

"I know, but what if ?" asked Puck in a whisper.

"Don't think like that, Puck. Stay positive."

"I'm just scared." Puck said.

"I know. So am I." answered the teacher. "Come on, let's go back inside. We should all be together, especially for Quinn." he finished, his heart breaking for the blonde cheerleader who seemed so broken at the moment. It was almost strange to think of the blonde cheerleader and the diva as a solid couple but that's what they were. When it came to his students and their love for teenage drama, Schuester hadn't been able to ignore all their shenanigans going on, most of them happening in front of him in the choir room.

The two girls had been together since last year and when they announded that they were together, they suprised more than one person. After all, just a year prior their little announcement, those two were at each other's throat, with Finn caught in the middle of their little war.

He remembered the day they had gone public, at least in front of the Glee Club. In retrospect, it was funny because he was so used to Rachel Berry's big annoucements that the way they went with this had Quinn written all over, just walking in the choir room, hand in hand. No muss, no fuss. A series of questions had been launched at the two girls and they just said that they were together and that was it. No drama, which meant it had obviously been Quinn's idea. It was still strange to think how much influence they had on each other.

Quinn had a very calming effect on Rachel and helped her put things in perspective before acting on her diva tendencies. And for that, Will Schuester was extremely grateful as it had been far easier to team up with the diva this way. And it had changed his whole relationship with the brunette.

As for Quinn, well being with Rachel had forced her to drop her guard because she was so happy all the time. And everyone finally got to see the real Quinn Fabray, the girl behind the HBIC mask. The gentleness that she was expresssing was only thanks to Rachel breaking Quinn's walls one by one and make her understand that being popular in high school is not what matters the most.

Everyone could see that those two now lived for each other and it was a great thing to witness.

Especially when Schuester remembered a few of their interactions he witnessed before he even thought about taking over the Glee Club.

_Freshman Year_

_"Yes, Will, your hair looks fine! You know, you should really learn to ignore Sue." Emma said to the yound teacher while they were walking towards the teacher's lounge. _

_Before Will could answer, he heard a crash. Both he and Emma stopped and turned around only to find Rachel Berry, McKinley self proclaimed diva, on the ground with books all around her. _

_"You should really watch where you're going Man-hands, you're really going to hurt yourself one of these days." came the laughing voice of Quinn Fabray, Mckinley's Head Cheerleader. The Cheerio, stucked between Santana and Brittany kept walking still laughing. _

_Will went to help Rachel gather her books. _

_"You're okay, Rachel ?"_

_"Oh, I'm fine Mr Schuester. Don't worry, nothing I'm not used to."_

_"You know, if these girls are bothering you, you could go to Mr Figgins, right ?"_

_"And risk even more retaliation, I don't think so, Mr Schuester. Don't worry, I haven't been physically harmed. Now, if you could kindly give me back my books, I need to go in the choir room for my vocal warm up. Mr Ryerson demands perfection and I really don't want to get behind on my schedule. Thank you for your concern, Mr Schuester, but there is no need to be worried. Everything is fine." the brunette diva answered the spanish teacher. "Now, I will see you later in spanish, Mr Schuester. Thank you again for helping me."_

_And with that, the brunette hurricane was gone. Will pondered for one second the idea to go to Figgins but the diva seemed fine, so he let it go. After all, Emma was waiting for him. _

_"Was she okay ?" asked Emma._

_"Yes, she seemed fine. I asked her if she wanted to go to Figgins, but she said she was fine, there was no need to worry." he answered. _

_"Well, if she says so." Emma just said. _

_And just like that, they were back in their own little world._

_Just as Will was exiting his classroom, he heard a commotion in the hallway and a sea of students, who all seemed to be looking in the same direction. Will's eyes followed that direction and landed on a multicolored Rachel Berry in front of her locker. _

_"Think about it, Treasure Trail, now you and your gay dads can have your own little pride parade in the streets of Lima. You have the "rainbow part" down already." Will heard a voice said. A voice that sounded strangely like Quinn Fabray's voice. _

_At these words, the dozens of students surrounding Rachel started laughing and taking pictures with their phones. He saw the young Berry square her shoulders, hold her head high and reached for something in her locker before making her way to the bathroom. Will saw that the brunette was trying to behave like she wasn't the least bit fazed by what just happened. _

_"Everybody, get to your classes." suddenly yelled Will. The young teacher eyed the three cheerleaders, especially Quinn and Santana, and he was sure he saw the latina smirk satisfyingly. Will just shook his head in disappointment. Just like most of the bullying in this school, he had no actual proof that the cheerleaders did this to Rachel. Just like, earlier this week, Karofsky had avoided dentention because no one could prove he actually locked the kid in the wheelchair in the janitor's closet. Just like no one could actually prove that Noah Puckerman filled Kurt Hummel's locker with garbage. _

_Will waited for Rachel to finish, just to have her waving him away, saying once again that she was fine. _

_After witnessing a few more of these incidents between the diva and the cheerleaders, but having Rachel not react to them, Will finally gave up. Rachel Berry seemed to handle things her own way. _

So, yes, it was still funny to think that after making Rachel's life so miserable for years, apparently, the blonde cheerleader now only lived for one thing, making the brunette happy. Will thought it was the blonde's way of apologizing for everything even though he knew Rachel was one of the most forgiving person in the world. This was probably one of the best quality in the diva's personality.

Will took his seat back next to Emma and reached for her hand. The young counselor looked at him and he could see the tears in her eyes. He took her in his arms, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead as to reassure her.

"It's going to be fine, Em. you'll see. It will be ok. She'll be okay." He smiled at her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N****: Here is another update, hope you like it. As I mentioned it, I'm leaving for a week, so you'll have to wait a little for the next update but I promise I will try to get it as fast as I can**

**A/N2****: A little shout out to my regular reviewers, **_**Notjustanotherperson, dreamupfalldown, wagner710, maxsgirl452 and Charmed-Always**_**, who have been regularly reviewing the chapters. You guys just rock! Just like Barney Stinson, you guys are Awesome (with a capital A)!**

**And a big thanks as well for the others who are taking the time to review. It is greatly appreciated, and final thanks for all the alerts and favorites. **

**On with the chapter...**

Hearing Will say that everything was going to be ok didn't make Emma feel better. It just helped the guilt that she felt settle even further. So, for the first time in a long time, Emma Pillsbury didn't feel the need to clean anything and it wasn't just the fact that she was sitting in an hospital. Her mind was somewhere else, her mind was with a young brunette diva.

As a guidance counselor, Emma knew she still had loads to learn especially with the problems that usually plagued teenagers. She was trying, really, but she was so new at this. She was sure that after years and years of experience, she would be great at this but right now, she was at the beginning and she was doing the best she could. Sometimes it was not enough, like with Kurt Hummel for example. She should have seen the signs before the boy thought he had to transfer schools. Fortunately, he didn't and stood his ground, but the price to pay was that he was still regularly bullied. Or, with Artie Abrams, how could she have not known that the boy had been regularly locked in a port-a-potty.

Bullying in McKinley, she had been so oblivious to what was going on in that school. The kids were so scared that they didn't dare report everything that was going on. It's true that teenagers are not known to talk openly about their problems and usually pretend to be somebody they're not at school in order to survive. Well except for a few of them like Artie, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Rachel who were not conforming to what the rest of the students expected. They were different and damn proud of it. And in a school system, that made them losers, placed them at the bottom of the pyramid so to speak. But she thought they were coping well, despite the insults or slushies that were thrown at them. These are things that she had witnessed, but none of them wanted to speak with her about it. So she let it go and she shouldn't have. She remembered Kurt complaining about Karofsky and she had also heard Rachel yell at Figgins about the slushie machine a couple of times, but besides that, no one was talking. So, she really thought it was not that serious. She realized now, as she was sitting in a hospital waiting to hear if Rachel was going to survive and knowing that Jacob had killed himself, how wrong she had been. She felt responsible, that as a guidance counselor she had missed the signs with Jacob. She could have talked to him and could have prevented the events of today if she had seen how desperate the boy was. He had killed himself and had taken Rachel Berry down with him and she would never completely understand why Jacob had to take such drastic measures. Why didn't he talk to someone, a friend, a parent, a therapist, or a guidance counselor such as herself. She knew that today had changed everything for her, Jacob had changed everything, he had changed her outlook on life and she promised herself not to let anything like that ever happen again if she could prevent it.

She thought about Rachel. How losing her would affect everyone. She took a good look around her and saw the faces of devastated teenagers. They cared about their little diva, their captain. And Emma knew that if somehow, they were to lose their diva, they would lose their light and it would take a long time for them to get over it. Funny how things turn out, Emma thought to herself. The girl that everyone used to find annoying and the ideal victim had become the leader, the centre of their little Glee Family. Emma's gaze fell upon Quinn and she felt the tears threatening to spill. She hurt for the blonde. Just by looking at her, you could feel the blonde's pain. Her eyes were empty and she seemed to be somewhere else, somewhere safe in her mind. Emma knew it was a standard defense mechanism. When your mind doesn't want to deal with the hurt and the pain, it escapes someplace safe, where you don't have to feel anything but happiness. Yes, Quinn Fabray was physically in the waiting room, but emotionally, she was far far away. Her gaze drifted to Marcus Berry, who had noticed Quinn's behavior. He had a worried look on his face. When their eyes met each other, he smiled softly and shrugged his shoulders. They both knew that there was nothing they could do right now. They had to wait. For now, it was better to leave Quinn wherever she was.

Emma realized that no matter what, she needed to make amends and finally do her job. She had to stop being so self-involved at work. Whether by her failed marriage last year, or her obsession with the equally failed relationship between Will and Holly or now her new relationship with Will. For the past few months, when they decided to get back together, she was floating on Cloud Nine. She was so happy, that she had forgotten to do her job. Because, no matter what happens, Jacob's actions and death will have consequences, especially for those kids. And God forbid, anything should happen to Rachel, it would be even worse. She promised herself to be there for them, for the Berrys and for Will if it came down to it. Maybe, it wouldn't do anything for the guilt that she felt, because this is something that she would have to deal with in time, especially in regards to Jacob, but maybe she could finally help her students the way she is supposed to.

Tina was holding Mike's hand. She was staring into space, hearing the ticking of the clock on the wall. Only 1 hour had passed since they all sat down, but it already felt like she had been sitting in that chair for days. Tina felt like she had a ton of lead on her shoulders and it was heavy, too heavy for her. She was sure, she was going to break, but she felt Mike squeezing her hand, and it brought her back. And right now, she wanted to break, she wanted to scream and cry because she was in pain. Tina had always been a very sensitive girl who cared a lot, maybe too much sometimes. And she cared a lot about Rachel Berry. Tina and Rachel had been friends almost instantly. Sure there were the occasional spats like when Rachel quit Glee Club because Mr Schue had given her the solo for West Side Story, and Tina had been hurt a little by Rachel's actions. But the girl had apologized and everything was well again. Because both girls had similar views of the world. They were proud of who they were and if people didn't like it, then "To Hell with them!". They never thought, they had to change to fit the mold. Tina dressed in her goths clothes, Rachel in her skirts and animal sweaters, argyle and plaid. The only thing that had ever bothered Tina a little, is how Rachel was running after popularity and what warmed her heart a little, is that Rachel wanted to be popular without compromising who she was. Tina knew it was an impossible task, but seeing Rachel try anyway was quite an event. The two girls had always been there for each other, they might not be best friends, but they were there when it counted. Like when one was in need of getting rid of a slushie facial or in need of a little encouragement when an insult hurt a little more that day because one was already feeling down a little.

Yes, Tina and Rachel were friends. It may not be the kind of friends that hang out every minute of everyday, but they were there when it mattered the most and that was enough for them. Tina remembered when she broke up with Artie. It really was a huge decision for the asian girl, because she really liked Artie a lot, but he was a bad boyfriend, a great friend, sure, but as a boyfriend, there was definitely room for improvement. So, when she broke up with him, 1 hour later, Rachel was on her front porch, a plate of cookies in hand, some depressing music on her ipod ready to be listened to and a few dvds in hand about the end of the world or aliens invading earth. Rachel knew that when Tina was down she liked to watch action movies where things explode. Rachel had been a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen the asian girl rant about how she was done with boys.

So, yes, when given the chance, Rachel was a great friend.

And the same way, Tina had tried to be there for Rachel when her relationship with Quinn had been made public. At first, she had been a little suspicious of Quinn's motives when the two started dating. After all, she knew first hand the bullying that the Head Cheerio had put Rachel through. And she didn't want the blonde setting up her friend for the ultimate prank. Indeed, Tina had also been a victim of the Cheerios bullying, having been called names and having been slushied as well. She remembered having a discussion with Rachel last year, just after the girls "coming out", well at least coming out to the Glee Club. She remembered almost falling off her chair when the two girls had made their way in the choir room, hand in hand, Quinn looking lovingly at Rachel while leading her up to her chair in the choir room.

_Junior Year_

_Tina was sitting, her head on Mike's shoulders and listening to Kurt and Mercedes going on and on about some kind of fashion show that the boy had seen on TV. She was definitely bored. Mike was in a middle of a serious conversation with Sam about a fantastic website where you could learn Na'vi. Sam and Mike's mutual love of Avatar was getting a little boring. Mr Schue was giving music sheets to Brad and both were going over some song selections. Barely anyone noticed the diva and the cheerleader making their way in the room until the unmistakable laugh of the brunette diva made itself heard. _

_Hearing the diva really laugh was so rare, that all eyes suddenly locked on the brunette and what they saw had everyone's (except maybe Kurt) jaw hit the floor. The two girls were hand in hand, Quinn was looking at Rachel with what could only be described as a dreamy look, while the brunette was smiling, but not her usual fake smile, but a real, from ear to ear, could light up an entire city, smile. Before Tina could utter a word, a "What the Hell!" was heard coming from Santana's direction. _

_Quinn barely looked at her best friend, before leading the brunette diva into a chair and sitting down next to her, their hands never separating._

_"Q, what's going on ?" yelled Santana, now desperate for attention. _

_For a second, Tina saw a haunted look pass through Rachel's eyes. But the brunette turned towards the blonde cheerleader who smiled and the usual determination that was gracing Rachel's features most of the time was back. _

_The Head Cheerio got up, looked at her best friend and the rest of the Glee Club members. _

_"Rachel and I are together, as in a couple." the blonde said. "And before you say anything, S." she added interrupting Santana who was about to lauch into a rant. "Be careful. The name calling stops right here and right now. As my best friend, I would like your support but I don't actually require it. That goes for the rest of you as well. I'm in love with Rachel and she loves me back. that's all there is to know." the blonde finished, smiling, before going back to her chair. A few gasps were heard at the mention of the two of them being in love. _

_"Wait a minute, I thought you hated Rachel." Finn piped in. Leave it to Finn not to have noticed the change in the girls relationship since the summer, Tina thought. How self'centered was that boy ? Tina knew the girls had been working on a friendship, but a romantic relationship, well that had just stunned Tina. _

_"No, I never hated Rachel, Finn. I was just misguided and in denial." Quinn answered the somewhat dimwitted quaterback. "Anyone else has something to say ," the blonde asked challenging everyone. "Now is the time to speak up."_

_"Can I watch you guys make out ?" came the voice of none other than Noah Puckerman. Quinn sighed, of course Puck would ask that. _

_"No, Noah, you cannot watch." Rachel answered for Quinn. _

_"Damn, it would be so hot." the boy laughed. Tina swore she saw Artie nod his head in agreement. _

_Tina could see the wheels turning in everyone's mind, except Kurt who seemed kind of quiet. Maybe, too quiet. She guessed that the boy must have known already because this was more than juicy gossip. Tina took a look at her friend, and smiled at her trying to convey her support. _

_"Listen, we only ask that you keep it to yourself until we're ready to inform the whole school. We just thought, that as our friends, you should be aware of the change in Quinn and I relationship." Rachel said. But before she could add anything else, the two girls were envelopped into a warm, if only slightly choking, embrace by Brittany who had jumped from her seat. _

_"I knew you guys loved each other like me and S." the ditzy blond said laughing. "Q. always has moon eyes when she looks at Rachel." the blonde kept going laughing. "And she's always checking you out, Rach."_

_"ok, ok, B. We got it. Q. is getting her mack on with the dwarf." suddenly interrupted Santana._

_"Hey!" Quinn yelled. "What did I just say about insulting Rachel, S." _

_"Yeah, yeah. Ok, I'm sorry, but you can't expect me to change habits so fast, Q. I'll try to be more considerate, but I cannot guarantee that a "midget or dwarf" won't be used from time to time. You can't expect me going cold turkey after nearly 5 years." Santana smiled devilishly, but it looked more playful than anything. Tina swore she saw Quinn wince a little at the mention of the 5 year-long non stop bullying. But to Tina's extreme suprise, Rachel put her hand on the blonde forearm in an almost soothing way and Quinn's previous tense posture began to relax. _

_Mr Schue cleared his throat to remind the Glee Club that he was still here and they had work to do. Once the hour practice was over, Tina made her way to Rachel and asked her if they could speak privately. Quinn looked questioningly at Tina, eyebrow raised and had a "Don't mess with me" kind of look on her face._

_Rachel smiled and told Quinn she would meet her in the parking lot in a few minutes and the two girls made their way out of the choir room and towards Rachel's locker. _

_"Rach, are you sure about this ? I mean, it's Quinn, we're talking about. She doesn't have the best track record when it comes to you?" Tina asked abruptly, wasting no time. _

_"Tina, I appreciate the concern, but Quinn has really changed. And it's not something that happened overnight. We have been talking since the summer, we even hung out a few times and have been together for the past month." Rachel told her._

_"I just want to make sure she's not setting you up for something big, you know. I really don't want to see you get hurt this way." Tina kept going. _

_Rachel looked around her, to check is someone was within earshot and Tina swore she saw shyness coming from the usually outspoken diva. "Don't worry, Tina. Everything is fine, more than fine. To tell you the truth, I just love this girl more than I can say and you know me, I'm not usually out of words to describe how I feel. I don't understand how it happened or when it happened, but it just did."_

_Tina smiled and nodded, letting Rachel know she could keep talking. " I thought I knew what it was like to be in love, especially with Finn. But, I had no idea. To be honest, the way I feel about Quinn cannot even compare with the way I felt about Finn, which makes me think I was never in love with Finn. With Quinn, it's different, I can't wait to see her in the morning. When she takes my hand or kisses me, I feel like I could die right now and I would have no regrets at all. I'm just so happy all the time and the best part is I know she feels the same way. You don't see her when we're alone, Tina. She cannot fake this. I have no doubt about the way she feels about me."_

_"So, you're really sure, then ?" Tina asked. _

_"Yes, I'm really sure. Give her a chance, she WILL surprise you."_

_"Ok, but I'm keeping an eye on her. And if she does something to hurt you, she will answer to me." Tina told her friend, making sure to accentuate her words. _

_Rachel laughed. "I didn't know you could be so protective."_

_"I just don't want her to mess with you, that's it."_

_"She won't. But if she does, I will let you take care of her". _

_"You've got yourself a deal, Miss Berry." Tina answered. _

_The two girls made their way to the parking lot and Rachel said goodbye to Tina and advanced towards her car, where Quinn was waiting for her, leaning against the passenger door. The brunette asian saw an ecstatic brunette kiss the blonde deeply. Tina thanked god they were alone or they would create a small riot if the rest of McKinley saw the Head Cheerleader kiss the Glee captain like that. They weren't shy about it either and Tina jumped when she heard a wolf whistle coming from behind her and she saw Puck, smirking. _

_"Get a life, Puck!" Quinn yelled. _

_Tina chuckled. She saw Rachel talk with Quinn and the blonde lifted her eyes to meet hers and Tina knew that Rachel had just informed her about their conversation and to her surprise, the blonde smiled to her and nodded. _

The next few weeks, Tina couldn't help but observe the two girls together, and the doubts she'd had about Quinn had been put to rest. Quinn was good to Rachel, having a soothing effect on the brunette hurricane. But it was a two way street. Rachel also helped Quinn out of her shell and the blonde cheerleader was showing the people around her another facet of her personality. And Tina actually enjoyed these subdued version of Quinn and Rachel. They were very much in love and right now, in this waiting room, Quinn's heart was hanging on a thin thread, ready to break. So, Tina was begging Rachel to listen, to fight, to come back to them. Because, Tina cared a lot about Rachel Berry, her friend who had so much more to give and so much to live for.

Mike Chang was squeezing his girlfriend's hand in support, feeling that it was what Tina needed. His girlfriend seemed to be in deep thought.

Mike had always been the quiet one in Glee, after all he was not one for drama and God, the drama that was always going on in this choir room! He had seen how the jocks and the Cheerios had used Rachel as a target for their frustrations and he also saw the brunette take it all in stride, insult after insult, slushie after slushie. He felt sorry for her when he saw the same thing happening in Glee. But, he never did anything, never stood up for up, never defending her. He had always thought this was Finn's role, after all she was his girlfriend. But in this very minute, he felt a little ashamed of himself. Even when they were in middle school, he never did anything. Mike had known Rachel since they were in 6th grade, much like the Cheerios, Finn and Puck.

_6th Grade, beginning of the year_

_Mike remembered the first day of 6th grade, seeing those two boys enter the school with a tiny girl squished in the middle. They were laughing. For the first two weeks, they were glued to each other, always laughing, running into the halls, Finn or Puck giving piggy back rides to the brunette. They seemed happy. But then, out of nowhere, suddenly the boys were always with Quinn and Santana and the tiny brunette found herself more and more alone. And, that's when the bullying started for Rachel. Quinn and Santana were always on her case, humiliating her when possible, taunting her, calling her degrading names, making fun of her dads. But Mike, always being the observant one, noticed that none of this seemed to shake Rachel up. That was ultimately her downfall, because it riled up Quinn and Santana even more knowing they couldn't get to her. _

_Up until one day. That fateful day, when none other than Noah Puckerman threw the first slushie. Whoever thought the slushie facials had started in McKinley were dead wrong. It actually started in J. middle school. That's when Mike first saw Rachel break. Covered in slushie, the brunette's whole body was trembling and her tears were mixing with the slushie on her face. And Mike knew it wasn't because of the slushie, but because of who had thrown the slushie._

_For a second, Mike saw Puck falter. His eyes betrayed him, he was on the verge of crying. And Mike knew he had crossed the biggest line ever, he had betrayed his frienship. But it only lasted a second because Santana Lopez had just appeared behind Puck. The boy's entire behavior just changed and his whole face hardened. _

_"I told you, midget, to stop flirting with my man! He doesn't like you, he was just pretending to be your friend. You're just a little girl, a loser with no friends. So stop trying to get his attention. It's pathetic." the latina spat. She was smirking in victory and shared a look with Quinn, who didn't go unnoticed by Mike who was standing at his locker, a few feet away from the scene. They had won, they had managed to break her, and they had used Puck for the job. But Mike, also swore he saw something else in Quinn's eyes. It lasted for just a second, but he swore he saw regret and sadness. But that didn't fit at all. Mike thought he had imagined it. _

_Mike knew right away how they managed to get Puck to slushie his ex-best friend. Popularity. They had dangled it in front of Puck and Finn by extension, since the tall boy always seemed to hang around Quinn, and they took the bait and the two cheerleaders had managed to turn the two boys against their old best friend. _

_"Yeah, and that goes for Finn, as well, man-hands. Nobody wants to hang around a freak, a dwarf with no friends." Quinn added for good measure. _

_Mike saw the brunette ran away in tears, hiding herself into the nearest bathroom and he heard Quinn and Santana gloat. He wanted to slap them into next week, so much. But he was also weak when it came to popularity, because that was the game they were all playing. So, just like most of the students who had witnessed the scene, he ignored it and went back to his day. _

_That was the only time he saw the brunette break in front of Quinn and Santana. After that, the two were still after Rachel, but never managed to get her to react the way she had that day. _

What comforted him a little is that now, at least in Glee, the brunette was at home. She was loved by her friends, and most of all she was loved by Quinn. When he thought about it, Mike should have been more observant when it came to Quinn and her feelings for the diva. Because it had been obvious since day one, if you bothered to look beyond the surface, but who bothered to do that in high school ? That's not how things worked.

And Mike made a promise to himself, when Rachel would wake up, because in his mind there was no alternative, Rachel was a force of nature, he would apologize for never standing up for her in the past and he would have words with Karofsky and Azimio, although he had a feeling that Karofsky might not be a problem anymore. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Rachel Berry had taken a bullet for Karofsky. That showed him that Rachel was a great human being and he would try his best to be a better friend to her. If nothing, she had proven herself today and he also had a feeling that the entire school would look at Rachel Berry differently when she would be back at school because, once again, it made no doubt in Mike Chang's mind that the loud brunette would survive this. She was one of the good ones after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N****: Sorry for the delay, but I had some family issues that required my full attention for the past 2 weeks. Ok, so here is the next chapter before focusing on the last 4 characters, Finn, Puck, Santana and Quinn, and they will probably have chapters longer than my usual chapters. Up right now is Artie. I'm not a 100% pleased with this chapter but hopefully, it turned out ok and I hope that you'll like it.**

**A/N 2****: Usual thanks for the reviews, alerts, favorites etc... I'm thrilled that so many of you are on board. I know how slow the story is, but it's the way I want it. I think I want this story to be more emotional than anything. But don't worry, we'll get to Rachel soon enough.**

**On with the story...**

Artie had never disliked Rachel. He was one of the few who had never badmouthed her. Not to say that he had never thought she was a pain in the ass sometimes, because let's face it, from time to time, she kind of was. Even Rachel had admitted it. But he knew that if the brunette was so driven, it's because she wanted to make something of herself, and she pushed the others to do the same, that's why she was so bossy in the choir room. She wanted them at their best. Being good was just not good enough, she wanted them to be great. And that's why Artie admired Rachel Berry. She had the voice, the attitude, the tenacity and he knew the girl was going to make it. Every teenager dream in McKinley High was to make it out of Lima. While nobody knew if they would actually make it, everyone roaming the halls of McKinley knew that there was no doubt that Rachel Berry would make it and take the world by storm, starting with New York City. So, that caused envy and jealousy, and in McKinley this was equal to slushie facials and dumpster trips. But what he admired most about Rachel was her ability to never let them affect her. At least, in public. Well, he heard that once she did break, but it was back when they were in middle school and he hadn't witnessed it. But, he was pretty sure that at some point, in the privacy of her home, she must have felt rejected and lost, but once she was in public, the girl held her head high, a smile on her face daring anyone to mess with her. And they did mess with her, because they didn't like that they weren't getting to her, they wanted to break her, squash her confidence but the brunette kept on fighting them. She had done some things she wasn't proud of, like sending Sunshine in a crackhouse, or telling Finn that he wasn't the father of Quinn's child when it wasn't her place to tell, but all in all Rachel wasn't a bad person, she was just sometimes misguided and she was good at heart, and that's what counted the most and that's what earned her the forgiveness she had been seeking for. That's how she managed to hold a special spot in everyone's heart. Because no matter what, she never let go.

Artie smiled to himself, he knew that once you were Rachel's friend, you were in for life. There may be disagreements along the way, but she would always fight for you. Heck, she'd take a bullet for you. At this thought, Artie felt himself choke up a little. She did take a bullet, not for one of them but for the neanderthal who had been tormenting him and others like him, Rachel included, for years. How could she have done that ? How could she have overlooked the consequences of her actions. And suddenly, panic started to invade Artie's mind. What if he never got the answer to his question ? What if this morning, during history, was the last time he spoke to her. What did he say to her ? Artie tried to remember but he couldn't. Oh God, what were his last words to Rachel, why couldn't he remember ?

His breath started to become erratic, he was literally having a panic attack. Sudenly, he felt Mercedes' hand in his own.

"Breathe with me, Artie. Come on, focus. Breathe in and out, in and out." she whispered in his ear.

He felt himself calm down a little hearing his best friend's voice. But the question remained in his mind. Why ? Why did she do that ? Why would she take such a risk for someone who slushies her daily ? Why would she take the risk of leaving Quinn alone with such a burden to bear ? Quinn, Artie thought. He had seen her breakdown in the choir room but after that, everything had been so chaotic, he hadn't looked at her. But, to be honest, he didn't want to look at her because he knew what he was going to see. Pure heartbreak.

Artie wanted to be mad, but who to blame ? He didn't know. Was he supposed to be mad at Karofsky for pushing Jacob to his breaking point, or was he supposed to be mad at Jacob for bringing that gun ? Was he supposed to blame the school for turning a blind eye on the bullying taking place or the teachers, who witnessed and did nothing ? Was he supposed to be mad at Rachel for not thinking this through and leaving them and Quinn especially, in this limbo, waiting to hear if everything was about to change forever ? Or was he supposed to be mad at everything and everyone ? If Artie was honest with himself, everything had already changed, but for now they hadn't seen the consequences of that change. All he knew is that part of himself wanted to yell at Rachel for being so careless and part of himself wanted to drop on his knees and apologize for even thinking about yelling at her and beg her to fight. Artie didn't know if he believed in God, but he sent out a prayer anyway.

He had never been very invested in the relationship between Quinn and Rachel, his own drama requiring all his attention when the girls got together. At the time, he was going through his own breakup with Brittany. First, Tina dumped him for Mike and then Brittany for Santana. Although, this one he should have seen it coming. But despite it all, he saw how the diva cared for the blonde cheerleader. Simply by looking at her. She was different with Quinn. She was much more relaxed and carefree. When she had been with Finn, it was all about being the center of his attention, all the time. Her insecurities shining through, like if she wasn't Finn's whole universe, he would quickly move on to someone else. With Jesse, they were so alike that it was a constant battle between them as to whom would be in the spotlight. But with Quinn, it had been different as soon as it started. Instead of having a Rachel on the edge of a nervous breakdown or an insufferable diva, they had met the mellower version of Rachel. Still a diva, but an easygoing one. Rachel smiled all the time, and not her "Broadway" smile but a genuine one, she was affectionate with Quinn in a way she had never been before. She wasn't overbearing like she had been with Finn with crazy calendars and t-shirts, no it was done in a subtle way. Light touches, hands intertwined, laughs, looks full of promises of love. A subtle communication between two people completely in synch. And the whole Glee Club had come to love this version of Rachel Berry.

_Artie remembered the first time he saw this side of Rachel. It was at the brunette's house. Their assignment of the week had been songs from Phantom of The Opera. Kurt and Rachel had been ecstatics and had decided to show the Glee Club the movie version of the play and make a day out of it. So, Rachel invited everyone to her house for this screening. The girls had been together officially for about 2 months at that time and while it wasn't a secret anymore among the Glee Club, the two weren't out at school yet._

_But in the sanctuary of Rachel's house, well it was a whole different story. They had been all over each other the minute Quinn stepped in the house. Only Finn, Mercedes and Puck hadn't been able to come to this small gathering. _

_The movie had been watched in silence, except for the quiet whispering between the two girls. Artie even thought he saw Santana smile at this display of cuteness. But the glare she sent him when they made eye contact, Artie would never tell anyone he saw the softer side of Santana Lopez, with someone other than Brittany. _

_At some point, during the movie, Artie threw another look towards the two girls only to find Quinn, lying on the couch,, with her head on Rachel's lap, while the brunette unconsciously roamed her fingers through blonde hair while her attention was definitely on the movie, and Artie could have sworn he heard the blonde purr like a small kitten. She had her eyes closed and seemed to enjoy the brunette's ministrations. The fact is, he never saw Rachel that affectionate with anyone. Even during some of their get together in the past, she was just hanging on Finn's arm or simply leaning against him while the boy had his arm around her shoulder. But, he never witnessed such an intimate display of affection before. And come to think of it, he never witnessed any of that coming from Quinn either. The blonde seemed so relaxed and happy and that particular emotion was mirrored on Rachel's face. _

_Artie bumped Tina's shoulder, who was sitting next to him. She looked at him and he motioned towards the two girls. Tina took a look and smiled before drawing Kurt's attention from the screen. _

_Kurt watched the display before muttering a small "Oh My God" to his two friends. _

_But then Kurt had to take his cellphone out and take a picture of the two girls, which definitely broke the spell. _

_"Kurt, what are you doing ?" asked Quinn, annoyance in her voice. _

_"I'm sorry, Quinn, but that was just to cute for words. I thought it deserved a picture."_

_"Well, you keep that picture private and no posting this on facebook." Quinn said firmly. _

_"I'm hurt." Kurt said dramatically, putting his hand on his heart for emphasis. " You know me better than that." He added a little bit more seriously._

_"I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't mean it this way, but sometimes you kinda forget the world around you when you're in gossip mode and I know you plan to show this to Mercedes." Quinn said smiling._

_"No problem. And speaking of, when are you two planning to be official at school." He asked and that got everyone's attention. _

_"When we're ready." Rachel answered softly. Artie noticed that her hand still buried in the blonde's hair while the other played with Quinn's fingers. "We're out to the people who matter and that's enough for now."_

_Everyone nodded their head in agreement. They all knew how difficult the halls of McKinley High were for people who were different. _

_Quinn smiled adoringly at her girlfriend and Artie couldn't help but notice the silent conversation going on. Even THAT had changed. Rachel was the one with her feelings always on display for everyone to see. That was one of hest best qualities and sometimes he felt bad for this because it also allowed people to use this to their advantage when hurting the brunette. But with Quinn, it had been different from the start. Biggest proof had been that no one ever thought that the two had been together before they announced it in Glee Club. _

_When it came to boys, Rachel had always been vocal in her affection, everyone around her knew who she liked. But no one had ever guessed that she had been into Quinn. This had been kept hidden in the deepest part of her heart. _

_Unknown to the two girls, their relationship had been discussed among the Glee Club members as soon as they announced that they were together. Some like Mercedes, Tina or Finn were scared that Quinn was setting up Rachel for the ultimate prank. Some people like Brittany or Santana knew that Quinn had been harboring feelings for the brunette for quite some time now. But Artie was the only one who raised the following question: What about Rachel's feelings for Quinn ? She was so different than what they were used to. They really didn't know what to make of Rachel's behevior. Was she really in love, was it a phase, was she trying to get revenge on Quinn for years of torment? Nobody had a real answer to that. That's when Finn and Puck answered this for everyone. _

_They knew that Rachel had been a little obsessed with them, but they doubted that she had been in love with either of them. They had known her since they were in diapers and they knew how she worked. The fact that she was so different with Quinn meant that Quinn was different. Rachel's pattern had been the same whether it had been Puck, Finn or Jesse. And Puck couldn't help but say that while she had liked each of them, she hadn't been in love and what they were witnessing with Quinn, maybe that's what a Rachel Berry in love looked like. Calm, relaxed and happy. _

_Everybody seemed to agree and they each kept their eye on Rachel. While some of them were doing it more out of concern for Rachel and her well being, others were observing the birth of a new Rachel Berry. Artie had been one of those. _

_The movie now finished, Rachel got up to get some more refreshments, followed by Quinn shortly after. Everyone was still talking about the movie and who could sing what, when Artie wheeled himself into the kitchen to see if Rachel needed help. He quietly pushed the door, and saw the two girls, in a heated liplock. He knew he should have closed the door but Artie was a boy and the two were hot girls. Rachel was against the kitchen island, one hand buried in Quinn's hair, the other around the blonde's waist. After the obvious need for oxygen made itself known, they parted, their foreheads against each other and smiling lazily. _

_"What was that for ?" asked Quinn, chuckling. _

_"Just because I can." answered Rachel, still slightly out of breath. _

_"We should get back, the others will be wondering what we're doing." sighed Quinn. _

_"We should." added Rachel before leaning towards Quinn, stealing another scorching kiss from the blonde who responded eagerly. _

_Artie wondered if he should interrupt or not, noticing how heated it started to become, the two girls now realeasing soft moans. That's when Quinn ended the kiss with a smile that Artie was sure he had never seen on the blonde. It was so bright, it could have lighted up an entire city. _

_"We should stop." she said, still smiling. " because as much as I'm enjoying this, there are people in your living room, Rach." she finished. _

_"Damn!" the brunette joked snapping her fingers. "Maybe I could throw them out." she smiled. _

_"Oh yeah, I can already see it. Do you all mind leaving, because I really want to make out with my girlfriend right now, and maybe more." Quinn laughed. _

_"Oh, definitely more, Fabray. You definitely got me all hot and bothered." Rachel smiled mischievously. _

_"Hey, no fair, Berry. I was just here to help. You're the one who jumped my bones." _

_"Yeah, and what a fight you put up!"_

_"I can't help if I'm hot and you want a piece of the Fabray." Quinn genuinely laughed, gesturing to her body. "Who am I to deny you what you want ?"_

_"And people say I have a huge ego. And when did you start talking like Noah. Should I be worried about you giving yourself weird nicknames." Rachel added, giving Quinn a small slap on her butt, while the blonde was getting the bottles from the fridge._

_"Hey, do not damage the goods." Quinn said, turning around offering another blinding smile to her girlfriend. "It might be of use to you later if you behave."_

_"Well, then call me St Rachel because I totally intend to collect." Rachel softly said, taking her girlfriend in her arms once again. She dropped another chaste kiss on the blonde's lips. "Come on, let's go back."_

_Artie closed the door and wheeled himself back in the living room, a smile on his face. He had never seen see this playful side of Rachel and Quinn before. And the questions in his mind had been answered. He couldn't doubt their love for each other. It was clearly written on both their faces, so he wondered how they even hid it to begin with. Or maybe, everyone was just blind. _

Artie felt a tear on his cheek and wiped it? In his mind, he couldn't fathom losing Rachel. And as he took a look around him and saw his teammates with the same despair in their eyes, he knew they were all thinking along the same lines. They couldn't imagine a world where Rachel Berry was not there to fight the fight, so Artie wouldn't imagine it. He would remain hopeful, a bullet couldn't stop Rachel Berry, she was a force of nature. He trusted her to do the right thing and come back to them. So he looked at Mercedes, one of his best friend, and took her hand. A small gesture from him that tried to convey his confidence in his brunette friend fighting for her life.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N****: First of all, usual thanks to my reviewers and all those who put this story on alerts/favorites. I'm glad you all like this story and keep waiting patiently for my updates.**

**A/N2****: So, in this chapter Puck is up and we get a sense of history between him and Rachel as I mentioned in previous chapters that they used to be close. So you get 2 flashbacks, one with Rachel and one with Quinn. Hope you like what I've done with this chapter. **

**A/N3: I do apologize for the typos that I've noticed in the previous chapters. I'm trying to check each chapter thoroughly but some are getting through anyway.**

It was so wrong, everything was wrong. He shouldn't be in this hospital, waiting, she shouldn't be lying somewhere, trapped between life and death. That's not the way things were supposed to be. She should be at his side, smiling, laughing, telling him some random fact about Barbra Streisand career that he didn't care about but listened to anyway. None of them should be in this hospital. How could this have happened ? Had they all been so blind to the reality of the situation in the halls of McKinley High. Had they been that selfish ? Noah Puckerman knew the answer to that question but how can you justify it to yourself. That was the hardest part if it all. How would he live with himself if Rachel didn't survive. Because once upon a time, he had been the one bullying the others. He had thrown Kurt into the dumpsters, he had gone after Artie, he had slushied Mercedes and Tina and countless others more than once and most of all, he had slushied Rachel back when they were in middle school, starting the whole thing, and he had slushied her dozens of times after that. Each time, he would remember the look of utter disappointment in her eyes and he felt ashamed of himself. But popularity was the reward, so he kept doing it, trying to ignore the pang in his chest each time she looked at him, brown eyes expressing nothing but sadness at his actions. And Jacob. God, how angry he was at this son of a bitch for hurting one of the most important people in his life. And then he remembered, Jacob Ben Israel was no longer alive, and Noah's anger got stronger. How could he have left such a mess behind him. But he knew deep inside that his anger was also directed at himself for letting things get that far, for not caring. Because he never took the time to stop Karofsky, Azimio, the random Cheerio or random football player. They kept going after the boy and because he was a little bit weird, nobody said anything, thinking that it was justified. But who deserves to be treated this way ?

And now, they were all paying the price.

Noah couldn't remember the last time he had felt so scared. He was a badass and he wasn't scared of anything, but right now, sitting in this chair, his leg bouncing up and down at a rapid pace, he was nothing but a scared little boy crying for his best friend. He had known Rachel since they were 2 years old. Of course, he couldn't remember, but that's what their parents told them, plus there were the pictures. Lima was a small community in itself, meaning the jewish community was even smaller. And their parents had been friends. His mother had accepted the Berrys on sight, not caring about the fact that they were two gay men raising a little girl. While the rest of Lima had been difficult in accepting the gay couple, the bandwagon being led by none other than Russell Fabray, his mother had supported them and helped them. Noah remembered the few times when they were kids when Rachel would tell him that someone threw a brick in their window or the first day of first grade when an older boy called her dads faggots. He didn't know what the word meant but Rachel had known. No 6 years old should know what that word meant, but here they were. His mother, that day, had explained to him what that word meant and that they were bad people in the world, who didn't like people who were different. And that day, his mother made him promise that he would protect Rachel from these people, that he would never hurt her. And he kept that promise. Until they reached middle school and puberty along with Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez entered their lives.

Rachel and Noah had been inseparable since they were 2 years old. And when they entered first grade, they met the third part of their triangle, Finn Hudson. The three kids had dubbed themselves the Three Musketeers, always together, boys getting into trouble, Rachel getting them out of trouble. She was always helping them in class, and when they weren't at school, they were spending afternoon playing video games at Finn's, playing in Rachel's tree house or playing in Noah's pool. The three children were always together. Sometimes, Finn and Noah were made fun of for hanging out with a girl, but in their eyes, she was the coolest girl ever, even if sometimes she was boring them when she talked about some old woman named Barbra or wanting to watch old movies with old people singing instead of the awesomeness that was the Power Rangers. So, they had their share of fights with other boys trying to defend their relationship with their best friend, but to them it was worth it.

But they grew up and by the time they reached middle school, puberty hit them full force. Noah was starting to grow into his looks and his famous mohawk and had started to notice girls. He also had the bad boy attitude to match. Finn was caught in the middle, not quite sure what to make of girls yet and clinging to Rachel, but he couldn't help but follow Puck. And then everything started to change between them. The main reason for this change had been two girls, a blonde and a brunette. Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez. The boys had been hooked right from the start. They were beautiful and for whatever reason, the whole school adored them. They were the epitome of popularity. The beautiful latina made no secret of her attraction for the jewish boy and soon enough, Puck bagged himself his first girlfriend. To him, Rachel would always be his first kiss, but they had been nine. It was just an innocent peck, just to see how it felt like to kiss a girl. Santana had been his first girlfriend. Finn had been under Quinn's spell as well. And from here on out, things changed forever.

Puck and Finn became the cool guys who were going out with the most beautiful girls in school and Rachel had remained her loud, driven and bossy self. That annoyed Quinn to no end. So, they asked the boys to cut the midget loose. She was a loser in Quinn and Santana's eyes. They saw her as that small annoying kid who wanted to hang out with the bigger kids. It was true that Rachel's short stature was working against her, making her look much younger than she actually was. Puck and Rachel each ended up on one end of the popularity spectrum and they knew that their once epic friendship was coming to and end. But Rachel, for a while, fought against it. She kept trying to knock some sense into him and Finn. Until Quinn and Santana had enough. And that's when it happened, that's when the first slushie was thrown. Quinn and Santana had asked him to do it. At first, he refused but then some jocks were starting to call him a pussy and the girls were adding fuel to the fire. Puck wanted to prove himself and he was sure he could apologize to Rachel after. He knew his friend would forgive almost anything, she was like that.

As long as he would live, Noah would never forget what he felt that day. The small brunette that used to look at him like he was a God, with such adoration in her eyes, was now looking back at him with such sadness and disappointment in her eyes, it made him feel like he was nothing, just the scum of the earth. Noah had wished many times he could go back and kick the crap out of his stupid self, but he couldn 't change the past. After that stunt, Rachel had given up trying to talk to him and Finn. Their friendship had been forever altered and it took so long to get it back to how it had been. He had broken something that day, something that could never be repaired. So, he kept throwing slushies, becoming Puck and forgetting who Noah was. She had been the first one to believe in him, when he was scared that he was going to end up a Lima Loser like his dad, telling him that he was worth so much more than the man who walked out on his family when Noah was 7. But by the time they reached High School, they had become strangers to one another.

Then Glee Club happened. And slowly, he and Rachel began to speak again, slowly getting reacquainted. Noah knew their friendship would never be the same, too much damage had been done. But then he made the mistake of sleeping with Quinn, successfully ruining his second friendship. Rachel had supported him through the whole thing, telling him to get his act together for Quinn's sake. And slowly, they started re-building a tentative friendship. It wasn't like before and it would probably never be, but it was enough for Noah. Rachel was back in his life. They dated for one week, but they were never made for each other, they were always better off as friends. And slowly, but surely, they were back in each other's life full time. Rachel's relationship with Finn had also been altered. he went from best friend to virtual stranger to boyfriend and back to one of her best friends alongside Noah. The trio were slowly returning, forgiveness had been earned and granted.

At the beginning, it was just a matter of hanging out, slowly getting back their footing. Noah noticed that Rachel was still keeping him and Finn at arm's length. She was back to his house and Finn's hanging out, even when she and Finn were dating, but she was still wary of him, not confiding in him like she was when they were younger. He used to be the one she told everything to, he was her go-to guy when she wanted to share her inner thoughts and secrets. But that had been lost. Then one day, out of nowhere, it came back. Noah remembered, it was about two weeks before Finn and Rachel breakup, just before Quinn and Rachel got together.

_After a very frustrating day, Noah found refuge in the auditorium, only to find his favorite jew, sitting there, on the first row, seemingly lost in thoughts. _

_"Hey, princess, what are you doing here ?"_

_"Hello, Noah. I just needed a quiet place to think." her voice was quiet. _

_"What's on your mind, Ray ?" Noah asked, concern in his voice. He knew that when Rachel Berry was being quiet, it meant she had a lot on her mind._

_"My relationship with Finn." she answered. _

_Noah was surprised, first because he thought he would have to beg her to get an answer out of her and then because he really thought everything was fine in Finchel Land, as the Glee members dubbed them. _

_"Straight to the point and in so few words, I'm officially worried, princess. What's wrong ?"_

_"No need to mock me, Noah. I'm just confused about my feelings for him. I was really sure, this time around. I really thought we would make it work. I was so happy when he confessed that he loved me." she said. _

_"But ?" Noah asked_

_"But, I never answered back, I never told him that I loved him back and now I am not so sure I do..." she trailed. _

_Before Noah could ask another question, she continued. "I mean, I love him as a friend, but as a boyfriend, I do not think we are meant for each other; I don't feel any spark when he kisses me, I do not feel the need to go any further, no matter how much he wants it and pushes for it."_

_"Hold on!" Noah said raising his finger. "What do you mean pushes for it ?" he asked, anger starting to make itself known. _

_Rachel looked at Noah and realized what she had said. "No, no, no not like that Noah. Not pushing per se, but complaining from time to time that we are not doing anything besides kissing. But he has always been a gentleman with me. You know Finn, Noah. He has many flaws including being somewhat insensitive to other people's feelings, but that is not an area where you need to be concerned. He has always been respectful."_

_"Ok. you had me worried for a second there that I needed to kick his ass. After the whole Quinn thing, we're just starting to be friends again and I really don't want to beat him up right now. Anyway, what's the problem, Princess, didn't you tell that you wanted to wait before you were 25 or something ?" He asked. _

_Rachel looked at him almost embarrassed, something he had rarely seen on Rachel. She bit her lower lip. _

_"I think it was more of an excuse so that Finn would stop asking for it."_

_"I don't understand, Ray." Noah said, a little bit confused. _

_"Noah, I really don't want to have this conversation with you, in the school auditorium." _

_"Come on, Princess. You used to tell me everything and we're all alone in here." Noah said, now he was definitely intrigued and Rachel's behavior was becoming quite odd. "What is it, are you scared by the idea, because it would be perfectly normal."_

_Rachel sighed. Leave it to Noah Puckerman, self proclaimed sex-shark to be sensitive when discussing sex with her. Usually, it was more like crude comments and bragging. But then she looked him in the eyes and she understood. He was being Noah at the moment, her (ex)best-friend, the boy with whom she shared everything, not Puck. So, she took a leap of faith, she knew they were trying to repair their once epic friendship and Noah was reaching out to her. She took a deep breath and jumped. _

_"It's a lie. It's not that I don't want to have sex before I'm 25, it's just I don't want to have sex with Finn."_

_"Ok, I'm lost, here. He's your boyfriend."_

_"It's hard to tell. The kissing, even without spark, I can get through it, because it's Finn we're talking about, boy I have known since we were 6, with whom I shared so much. But when it comes to sex, I'm just not into him. To put into your words, he just doesn't do it for me." she finally said, blushing. _

_Puck chuckled. "ok, I see. so, you're not physically attracted to him."_

_"Well, that would have been my words, yes. I'm glad you're improving your vocabulary, Noah. See, I told you these tutoring sessions would do wonders for you."_

_"Don't try and change the subject, Princess. So, is it just Finn ?"_

_Once again, Puck saw her blush even a deeper shade of red._

_"No, it's not. I tried with Jesse but couldn't go through with it for the same reasons. And you, as well." she gestured to him._

_"Hey! I never asked for sex from you."_

_"I know, but every girl is just so ready to fall in bed with you." she said, giving him a slight slap on the back of his head when she saw him smirk. "Not the time, Noah. Anyway, I just thought that maybe with you, it could be different. But guess what, nothing." she just said. _

_"Really, nothing. Are you sure ? I mean, have you seen my body ?" he said flexing his arm muscles. _

_She laughed. God, it felt good to hear her laugh. "Sorry, Noah. But no, I'm not physically attracted to you."_

_"Ok. Well, maybe you just haven't met the right guy. It's not a race, Rachel. You're just not ready."_

_"You sound like my daddy, Noah." she chuckled. _

_"Yes, and for your information I respect Marcus Berry quite a lot and also, I would totally make an awesome dad." he smirked, but he felt a small pang in his chest when he thought about Beth. "I can be deep and stuff when I want to."_

_"Yes, Noah, you can be deep and stuff." she said quoting him, laughing. "But more seriously, I don't think it's a matter of meeting the right guy."_

_"Why ?" he inquired. _

_"Oh for the Love of Barbra, I cannot believe I am about to discuss this with you." she sighed. "While Jesse, Finn or you didn't do anything for me, some other people did."_

_"Who ?" he asked smiling, he was starting to have an idea where this was going. _

_"People of the female variety." she said in a whisper. _

_"So, what you're saying is that your problem with Finn comes from the fact that you might be gay."_

_"Exactly."_

_"One question for you, Princess. Why had that never occured to you before ?"_

_"It did, but to be honest, I just did not want to give any reason for the neanderthals that populate the streets of Lima to rub into my dads faces that were right all along. Gay couple can only raise gay children." she said, sadness creeping in her voice and Noah felt his heart clench. _

_"You know that's not true. You're smarter than that, it's your fear talking." _

_"Maybe, but it does not change the fact that I am not ready for this." she sighed. _

_"But you can't just string Finn along, it's not fair to him." Puck added and she frowned. _

_'I know, Noah. I will talk to him, soon. But what am I going to do with this, now ?"_

_"You'll figure it out, Princess. You always do. And no matter what, I have your back."_

_"Thank you, Noah." she said hugging him. And he couldn't help but smile. Finally, after years, they were back to being Rachel and Noah and that felt good to the young man._

_"So anyone you like ," he asked with a smirk on his face._

_"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm thinking of going after Lauren. She is such a badass, we'd make a wonderful couple." she said laughing, bumping shoulders with him slightly. _

_"Hey, I'm glad you're getting acquainted with your lesbian side, but please keep your paws off my girlfriend." he smiled back. "it took me months to get her and I'm not losing her to you."_

_"I'm joking. I think she is way too much to handle for me, anyway. She's even more badass than you are."_

_"But seriously, anyone ?"_

_"Maybe, but that I will never tell." she said, getting up. _

_"Come on, be a good girl and tell me who it is, so I can imagine you two together." _

_"Well, Noah, you just explained the exact reason why, for now, this particular subject will remain undiscussed between the two of us." she winked. _

Puck remembered this particular discussion, the day they made the first steps to becoming best friends again. He smiled at the idea that Quinn Fabray, as a potential object of affection, never even crossed his mind. He had thought she had a crush on Brittany or Santana, or even that new girl in the soccer team, but Quinn, never. And after watching them, he wondered how he could have had thought otherwise. Those two were like Peanut Butter and Jelly, the perfect mix. When they announced they were together, he had been taken by surprise and a little shocked that she never told him she had the hots for Quinn. The fact that Quinn was gay, not so much of a shock there, but that she was into Rachel... well... well, come to think of it, she had been after Rachel for so many years that now it kind of mase sense in his head. Suddenly, years of torment he witnessed from the blonde Cheerleader were seen in a whole new light.

Noah knew that Quinn had a talk with Mercedes and Tina about Rachel, but he felt it was his duty as Rachel's best friend to talk with Quinn. And he did, he went all "Father of the bride" on Quinn, which resulted in a good fit of laughter from the blonde while Puck was trying to be serious, telling her he had a gun and a shovel in case she would hurt Rachel. But after a while, Quinn calmed down and told him that she was serious about Rachel and nothing would change that. And he believed her. He always had a knack for deciphering Quinn's emotions, and he knew, right away, that she was completely sincere. And she did make good on her word. The first time Karofsky slushied Rachel after they got together, Quinn went crazy on the football player. And they weren't even out at school.

_Quinn, Santana and Puck were at Brittany's locker waiting for the blonde to get her books out for their shared history class. Quinn and Santana were bickering about something or other, while Brittany was telling Puck a story about ducks, while Puck was mostly tuning them out. When suddenly, rounding the corner at an extremely fast pace and muttering angry gibberish was none other than a Rachel Berry covered in what seemed to be grape slushie. _

_Rachel was obviously coming to her locker to retrieve some clothes while muttering something about neanderthals who will be lucky to wash her car when she'll be a Broadway star. _

_Puck took a look at Quinn who was seething. He couldn't remember the last time he saw the blonde so angry. Santana seemed pissed off as well. It surprised Puck a little, because he knew Santana and Rachel weren't that close, but then again since the club had learned of Quinn and Rachel's relationship, the two had been "forced" to spend some time together, with Santana and Quinn being friends. _

_The brunette diva stomped towards the bathroom in order to remove the slushie when Puck saw none other that Azimio and Karofsky coming into view laughing and high-fiving each other. Puck started to crack his knuckles ready to draw some blood when a blonde fury beat him to it. He saw Quinn run towards Karofsky and before the football player could react, the blonde punched him with all her might sending him flying against the locker surprised by the sheer force of the hit. _

_"Listen asshole, if you ever slushie her one more time, I will castrate you." the blonde yelled at him, not caring that she was actually defending Rachel Berry publicly for the first time ever. _

_"What the hell, Fabray!" David spat. "Since when are you standing up for the freak?"_

_Once again, Quinn tried to hit Karofsky before being pulled back by Santana. "Hey, Do not call her a freak, jackass!"_

_"Calm down, Q. You don't want to get suspended for fighting." Santana whispered in Quinn's ear. _

_"I don't care, S. Let me go." Quinn said struggling to get out of Santana's grip and into Karofsky's face. "I need to bash his face in." she said looking directly at Karofsky. _

_"Yeah, like you could, blondie!" David laughed. But he also made the mistake of moving towards Quinn in order to intimidate her only to be stopped and pushed back into the lockers by Puck. _

_"Hey, do not touch her." Puck said. "Or this time you deal with me." he added menacingly._

_"Whatever Puckerman!" Karofsky answered getting Puck off of him. "Come on, Az, we're out of here." _

_Karofsky left, leaving the 3 teenagers in the hallway. _

_"Damn, Baby Mama, I didn't think you had it in you." Puck smirked. "Fighting with girls is one thing, but taking on Karofsky, Whoa! For a second, you looked like Santana."_

_"Hey!" came the answer from the latina girl. _

_"Well..." Quinn shrugged. "You are a crazy ass Latina, who thought she could take on the captain of the wrestling team while screaming she was living in Lima Heights Adjacent."_

_"Yeah, I know. But that's not being crazy, that's being badass and Q, may I say, you are a badass in your own right." Santana winked. _

_"Whatever, but next time, do not stop me. This jerk needs to be taught a lesson or two." Quinn fumed; _

_"Come on, Q, forget about Karofsky and go check on your midget." Santana said, trying to calm Quinn a little. _

_"Stop calling her a midget." Quinn sighed. "You know what S, also stop with the dwarf and hobbit."_

_"Hey, you're taking all the fun out of this. If I can't call Berry a midget, what will I do with my days ?" she said dramatically. _

_"Compromise, you get Berry or even Short stack but you stop with midget, dwarf, hobbit or Yentl and of course no more man-hands or treasure trail, that goes without saying." Quinn said even more firmly Puck could see Quinn was completely serious. Even him, he was getting fed up with the nicknames, so he could imagine what Quinn was feeling. _

_"Fine, although I haven't called Berry man-hands, treasure trail or Yentl in quite a long time." Santana agreed, she didn't want to fight Quinn on this and Puck could clearly see it on Santana's face. He knew that deep down the latina was starting to like his fellow jew. It took time, but Rachel Berry was starting to break through Santana's walls. Puck snickered. _

_"What's so funny, Puckerman ?" Santana asked. _

_"You're starting to like Rachel." he laughed. _

_"No, I'm not." Santana protested. "She's loud, she rambles all the time, talks like she swallowed a thesaurus, and she is always in people's business."_

_"You like her because she makes Brittany smile and laugh." Puck continued. He was on a roll. He winked at Quinn who smiled back. _

_"Whatever, Puckerman." Santana answered lamely. _

_"Oh My God!" Quinn gasped. "You do like her. You're barely defending yourself." she added. _

_Puck and Quinn started to laugh at the latina who was ready to storm out. _

_"Ok, ok. yes, the midg... hum.. Berry is starting to grow on me, I admit. She makes Brittany happy and she makes you smile all the damn time." she said, turning towards Quinn. "And after last year, it's nice to see you smile." Santana whispered, almost ashamed to say it out loud. _

_"Oh my God, I didn't think I would ever see the day when Santana Lopez would grow a heart. Did you go and see the Wizard ?" Puck asked with a smirk adorning his face. _

_"Well, maybe. But I can still kick your ass, Puckerman." Santana growled. _

_"Whatever, Lopez. Anyway, it's nice to see you care." he said. _

_"Yes, it is. Thank you, S." Quinn said, looking the latina in the eyes. _

_"Yeah, yeah. Don't make a big deal out of it. I'm still a badass. Now go find Berry." she said to Quinn. "Come on, Puckerman, let's leave Q. and her midget, alone."_

_"Santana! _

_"ok, that was the last time, I promise."_

Puck remembered that day from last year. It was the first time he had witnessed the intensity of Quinn's love for Rachel. The way she had been so protective of his fellow jew made him so proud of his baby mama. He had been there since the beginning, because they all met back in middle school. he had witnessed the years of torment she inflicted on the brunette without saying anything and Rachel always took it in stride because she knew no one would defend her. But today, someone finally stood up for her. And this was the day, Puck knew that Quinn was beyond serious about Rachel, because while she had not made a public announcement of their relationship, she took an enormous first step by defending her and almost taking on Karofsky in the process. Puck remembered the moment in the choir room earlier, when Quinn jumped Karofsky. And everyone in the room had felt her anger, her pain and despair. He knew the blonde was barely holding on. Just by looking at her, he knew she was somewhere where none of this could touch her, because after everything that had happened to her, Rachel was now her lifeline and right now, she was standing there, about to lose it all. And he could understand how Quinn felt, because he felt the same. While Rachel and him weren't sharing the same type of love that her and Quinn were sharing, which was deeper and intense, he loved her nonetheless. She had been his best friend for so many years now. Sure, there were years in between when they hadn't talked at all or barely acknowledged each other, but that didn't mean Puck stopped feeling love for his best friend. All of these years wasted for nothing but popularity. Ever since he and Rachel had been working on getting their friendship back, he was trying to make amends for this huge mistake. And he wasn't done, not yet. It was too soon. They still had so much to share. And Puck let the tears fall quietly as his heart broke when his mind imagined what his life would be without his Rachel.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N****: What can I say ? I'm ashamed I took so long to update. I won't get into details as to why, I just want to say that I will finish this story, I will not give up on it, so you don't have to worry about that. Here is another chapter. We're getting really close. Santana is coming up on the next chapter and then finally Quinn with the first news on Rachel's condition. **

**Hope you guys are still with me and again, I would like to apologize for this long delay in updating. ;D**

Finn couldn't believe what was happening. He had tried to block everything, but looking at all his teammates helped the reality of the situation finally settle in. His best friend had been shot and he had been nowhere near her, unable to protect her. In fact, she had done the protecting and she had protected none other that David Karofsky. Finn wanted to laugh at this, but it was a bitter laugh. Rachel Berry standing up for David Karofsky, how messed up was this ? Finn didn't know what to do, was he supposed to be strong, was he supposed to cry, was he supposed to comfort his teammates as co-captain of the Glee Club, was he supposed to comfort Quinn. At this, he looked up at the blonde, his ex-girlfriend, the girl that managed to steal Rachel's heart, something that he had never managed to do despite their history. Rachel had never been his. Seeing her with Quinn for the past year had been an eye opener. She had never been in love with him. Only one person had managed to make her fall in love and that was the blonde sitting in front of him. His heart clenched a little, because while Quinn had stolen Rachel's heart, Rachel had made Quinn fall extremely hard as well. The blonde had changed so much in the past year. Gone was the mask, gone were the scowls and frowns, gone was the bitchy cheerleader. Instead, she had been replaced by the real Quinn Fabray, the girl that Finn had never even met when they were together. Finn had dated both girls, but none of them had been in love with him. But if he was honest with himself, he had never really been in love with either of them. Dating Quinn had been convenient, helped him rise to most popular boy of the school and dating Rachel had been to make up for past mistakes, because she was his best friend and he had dropped her in seconds when Quinn had demanded it. Yes, both were extremely easy on the eyes, but there

were never any sparks. And he had never been able to find a reason why, until Rachel broke up with him for good and explained her reason. They loved each other, but it had been friends love.

The first time they met, they had been 6 years old, they were in the same First Grade class. She was friends with the boy with the mohawk and they seemed cool. They hit it off immediately and had become best friends quickly. He was a little slow and Rachel spoke to him with such big words that it was always a little difficult to keep up with her. Even today, he still had some difficulties to keep up but he was used to her way of speaking. She had helped him in class all throughout elementary school. She had been patient with him. She had been there for him and what did he do ? He threw her personality back in her face when he let his hormones get the best of him. He had never really forgiven himself for the way he had treated his best friend. Even if she had forgiven him, he still hadn't forgiven himself completely.

Quinn was beautiful, no one could deny that. She had always been beautiful and when puberty hit, Finn's brain had been replaced by hormones. And he let himself be dragged into Quinn's world. For whatever reason, she disliked Rachel and managed to convince him that hanging out with her was a big No. People would see him as a loser, just like her, and they would never be able to date. Because she was a Cheerleader and she couldn't date losers. One of Finn's flaws is that had always been weak when it came to popularity and how others viewed him. In the past, when they had been kids, it was not a problem, but he didn't know why it was suddenly this huge issue for him. One week, that's all it took. One week and Quinn had managed to weave her way into his life and convinced him to drop Rachel. Another week and Quinn had managed to make Rachel the most hated girl in school to prove her point. Endless taunting, humiliation and Finn had witnessed all of it without lifting a finger. The only thing that helped him ease his guilt a little was that Puck hadn't done anything either. If hormones had clouded his judgment, these same hormones had hit Puck twice as hard. And having a girl like Santana Lopez after him hadn't helped. So they both stood on the side lines watching Rachel get hurt again and again. Until one of them had done the irreparable. Until Puck betrayed everything when he took part in the bullying by throwing the slushie.

Finn knew that this time, it was over. His friendship with Rachel was over and done with. So Finn threw himself into his relationship with Quinn. And they entered High School. And everything went from difficult to extremely complicated. Quinn, Finn, Santana and Puck along with Brittany knew that while the 5 of them ruled the hallways of Kennedy middle school, they would start back at the bottom again once they reached High School. Indeed they would be freshmen, and knew that if they did not react quickly enough, they would become targets for the Juniors and Seniors of McKinley High.

And react, they did. Before everyone knew what was happening, Quinn became the youngest Head Cheerio ever and pulled Santana along with her. Santana had become even bitchier that she was, scaring everyone into doing her bidding. The two, in a matter of weeks, became once again the most popular girls in school. And with being Captain of the best Cheerleading team in the country came power. And while Finn didn't excel in school, he was good at football and within a few weeks, he was named Quaterback. Puck had long forgotten who Noah was and was sleeping with more girls than he could count establishing himself as the stud of McKinley. Brittany, as always, had stuck by Santana. And once again, those 5 now ruled McKinley High.

For Finn, everything was how it was supposed to be. He was extremely popular, he was the Quaterback of the football team and like every good cliche he was dating the head Cheerleader. The only thing that was missing is that Quinn still refused to sleep with him and that bothered him because the guys in the locker rooms tended to make fun of him for that. Those 2 had been dating seriously for quite some time and he still had to reach second base. But Finn was patient, and his time would come.

3 things happened that turned Finn's world around. The first thing was Rachel Berry in freshman year. Finn and Puck had managed to forget their guilt about treating Rachel like she was yesterday's garbage and the girl had made herself practically invisible over the past few years. Well, mainly because they weren't existing the same stratosphere and they didn't cross paths that often. The only time they would see her is when Quinn and Santana decided they were bored and went after her. But the boys had learned to ignore all of these shenanigans. But freshman year, back from the summer break, Finn had seen Rachel and noticed how the girl had changed. Puberty had been good to the girl. The legs that went on for miles were toned and tanned. The silky black hair longer than Finn remembered seemed so soft that Finn wondered what it would feel like to run his fingers through it. Sure the animal sweaters were still there but the skirts were shorter. In other words, Rachel had grown and Finn's eyes had started to wander and Quinn had noticed. Hence, the now daily slushie facial, the insults becoming vicious and more and more personal. Quinn had always been tormenting Rachel one way or another, but this time, jealousy fueling her, she was taking things to a whole new level.

The second thing that happened was Will Schuester in sophomore year, the spanish teacher. Schuester, newly appointed director of the Glee Club had seen something in Finn and had taken upon himself to recruit the young Quaterback. And Finn, in his 16-year old mind had been convinced. And the fact that he could hang with Rachel without Quinn being on his back was a plus. For Finn, it was like starting over. They had been out of touch for so long and Finn saw it as his chance to reconnect. And the fact that Rachel seemed more than receptive to his advances was working for him. Finn didn't know if it was because she was into him or just happy to have her friend back but nevertheless he was going along with it. His relationship with Quinn was still going nowhere, the girls still refusing to let him touch her. In retrospect, he should have known the girl was as gay as they come. But then, Quinn had to join and the tension was at an all times high. Cheating on Quinn by kissing Rachel had been a mistake, but Finn was a 16-old boy, and he was thinking with the brain in his pants not the one in his head and what Quinn didn't know couldn't hurt her.

And finally, Babygate happened. Despite their history, despite Finn's patience, Quinn had slept with Puck and gotten pregnant. And everything changed. After joining the Glee Club, Finn, Puck, Quinn and Santana, were starting to be made fun of. But then the pregnancy had been the last straw. For the first time ever, Finn, Quinn and Puck had been slushied, one after the other. Quinn was not a Cheerio anymore, Santana and Brittany had distanced themselves from Quinn not wanting to go down along with her. Their whole world had been turned around on its axis and sometimes Finn wondered if it wasn't fate's way of saying "you deserve it".

So, here they were in sophomore year, Quinn pregnant with Puck's child. Finn and Puck's friendship was over and the boy had broken up with Quinn and gotten together with Rachel. And dating Rachel was like being on a roller coaster, so many highs and lows. Sometimes, the boy felt she was not really into it and other times, way too much (t-shirts, calendars and so on...) like she was trying too hard. And that was confusing Finn too much so after a while, he broke up with her deciding that he wanted to explore his options, aka hook up with other girls. The fact that Rachel was reminding him of Quinn with her no touching rule was also way too hard for Finn. He wanted sex and he knew Rachel, just like Quinn, wouldn't go for it. So, he went to look for sex the only place he knew for sure he would find it: Santana Lopez. Rachel was busy with Jesse St James, who turned out to be a backstabbing jerk to Rachel, and Finn finally got what he wanted. It had been over quite quickly and the lack of emotions made the whole thing kind of cold, but nevertheless, Finn was no longer a virgin. He had no desire to date Santana and after having slept with her a couple more times, the desire to be in a relationship again bubbled back to the surface and he had begged Rachel to be his girlfriend again. Rachel was getting over Jesse's betrayal and she was vulnerable. So, by the end of the year, Rachel and Finn were once again a couple and seemed happy. Well, at least that's what Finn thought until Rachel turned his world around once again.

_The tall boy made his way up Rachel's room dreading what was coming. The way she had told him they needed to talk did not sound good. Hell, the words "We need to talk" never sounded good, no matter what. So here he was, climbing up the stairs trying to figure out what he did wrong that made Rachel angry. But he couldn't think of a single thing. He had tried hard to please her lately. It had started with his declaration of love, which she still hadn't returned. Finn was still waiting her "I love you, too." But no matter what, she wouldn't say it. But Finn didn't push her. After what they had been through over the years, he knew she needed time. So time he would give her. _

_Arriving at the door, he put a smile on his face and pushed the door opened. She was sitting at her desk, going through her music library on her computer. Finn had always been impressed with the sheer number of songs on that computer. He knew that she loved music, he just never knew how much until one day when he opened the music library. There was a little bit of everything and anything, every genre, foreign songs. You name it, chances are it's in there. _

_"Hey Rach." He sais smiling._

_She turned around and greeted him with a smile of her own, but Finn couldn't help but notice that something was definitely off. _

_"Hey Finn. How are you ?" she asked. _

_"Ok I guess. Just wondering why you wanted to see me. It sounded urgent on the phone." He said, straight to the point, staring at her. He could tell she was nervous and it didn't comfort him at all because Rachel Berry rarely got nervous. "You're ok, right."_

_"Yes, I am. Well, no, not really, I'm not. "she said. "ok, I mean. I'm not ok. That's why I think we need to talk."_

_"Talk about what, Rach." He asked. He knew deep inside what it was about. He wasn't dumb. He had told her he loved months ago, and she still hadn't reciprocated. And over the past few days, he had noticed her behavior, she seemed distant and would avoid getting alone time with him, always making excuses of being too busy. Finn wasn't a bright guy when it came to school, but he knew when a girl was about to dump him. He just couldn't understand why. _

_"Talk about us Finn." she answered and he could see the sadness in her eyes. Rachel always had expressive eyes, every emotion she was feeling was reflected in them. And right now, he could see sadness. "There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to say it" she continued. "I don't think it's working, Finn."_

_"What are you talking about, Rach. You and me, we're good together." he said, a little desperately. He really didn't understand where this was coming from. _

_"As cliche as that sounds and I really hate to say it like that but, it's not you Finn. It's coming from me. I really thought I could make it work, but something is missing. A spark. You have to feel it, Finn. You and I, we make excellent friends, but as a couple, we just don't work. You know I am right, Finn."_

_"I don't understand, Rach. I thought you liked me." He said. _

_"I do like you, Finn. So much, you have no idea. Ever since we were six. You're one of my best friends and I wouldn't change that for the world. But, there is a reason, I never said I love you back, Finn." She said, hesitating a little to keep going. Finn braced himself for the next words because he knew they were going to hurt. "I just don't like you like that." she finally said. "You and I, we are not romantically compatible and it would be a mistake for both of us and extremely unfair to you to keep this charade going." _

_"I really thought..." he trailed off. _

_"I know, I tried, I really tried. But I just can't feel it, Finn. And there is a reason for that and it's in no way your fault". She explained _

_"What reason?" he asked. _

_"You have to promise to keep this to yourself." she asked, vulnerability suddenly reflected in her eyes, clear as day. How could he refuse her ?_

_"of course, Rach. Just because we're breaking up doesn't mean I stop being your friends. We were friends long before we got together and we'll be friends long after." He said honestly, as he flashed back to a young 6 year old Rachel shaking his hand and promising him they would be friends forever. _

_She took a deep breath and Finn could feel her nervousness. "I'm gay, Finn."_

_"Oh!" is all he said. He really wasn't expecting that. _

_"Yes." she just said, barely looking at him, tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry, Finn. I really didn't mean to hurt you like that."_

_He felt his heart clench at the display of vulnerability and fear. "Hey, hey Rach. Don't cry. It's going to be okay. Yes, I'm hurt because I really thought you and me were meant to be, but you can't help it if you're gay." he said envelopping her into his arms. "You're my best friend and I will be there for you no matter what."_

_She was openly crying in his arms now. "I am really sorry, I ruined your Christmas, Finn." she cried. _

_And suddenly, he laughed. Leave it to Rachel to focus on other things. "You didn't ruin my Christmas, Rach. I'm glad you told me the truth. You could have let this go on and on and it would have hurt even more. But instead, you told me the truth. I will get over it, Rach. I'm a big boy. Don't worry."_

_"Thank you, Finn. So much."_

_"You're welcome, short stack!" he smiled, calling her by her old nickname. _

_"Hey!" she said, slapping him playfully on the chest. _

_"So who else knows ?" he asked, a little more seriously. _

_"You and Noah." she answered. "That's it."_

_"Just like old time, eh!" he smiled "You, me and Puck. I would call us the Unholy Trinity, but the name is already taken." he laughed. _

_"Yes, just like old times." he could see the relief on her face and the spark in her eyes. Now that the burden had been lifted off her shoulders, she looked happy. _

_"So, do you have a girl in mind ?" he asked. Was it too soon ? he thought to himself. _

_"Just like I told Noah, for now my lips will remain sealed."_

_He just nodded. Maybe, it wasn't such a bad thing. He was losing a girlfriend, but he was getting his best friend back. _

And Finn had been right, getting Rachel back as his best friends had been even better. The tension that he never knew existed between them when they were a couple was gone. Rachel was completely relaxed around him because she now knew he had no expectations. They had talked about what happened between them when they were younger. He apologized profusely for his behavior towards her and she forgave him without hesitation. Noah, Finn and Rachel were now hanging out all the time, just like they used to. Sometimes, he caught odd looks from the Glee Club members but they took it in stride. The only people he was worried about were Quinn and Santana because everything had started because of them. But weirdly, Quinn seemed happy about it. He caught her smiling once when Puck and Rachel were messing around the piano in the Choir room once. Even, Santana was oddly quiet about it. And then he understood. When Quinn and Rachel finally announced they were together, it took him by surprise. Of all the girls, his two ex-girlfriends had to fall in love with each other. But after a while, it made sense to him. The fact that they both seemed so distant when they were with him finally made sense. And Finn finally stopped wondering once and for all what was wrong with him. Just as Rachel said, it wasn't his fault. It was no one's. And after almost a year together, he had watched them grow even more in love. And he had seen the spark between them. The one that Rachel had claimed was missing when he was with her. And she was right. Seeing that spark between the cheerleader and the diva was really something to witness.

Finn dared taking another look in Quinn's direction. The spark was definitely gone, replaced by lifeless eyes. Quinn didn't even seem to register what was going on around her. Finn hurt. He hurt deeply at the thought of losing Rachel forever. He hurt so much that he felt the pain was unbearable. But he knew deep down that Quinn was feeling a thousand times worse and he understood why she had shut down. To protect herself.

Everything had been perfect over the last year. But now, it was all messed up. Rachel was his rock. After their breakup, he was pretty sure they had developped a stronger friendship than the one they had when they were kids. And he knew that no matter what, Rachel would be in his life forever, but he didn't want forever to stop today. No, this wasn't happening, Rachel had to survive this. She was a strong girl, she had proven that over the years of bullying she went through. Finn was suddenly feeling angry, rage was about to consume him. Jacob had shot Rachel, taking the most precious thing to Finn and treated it like it was nothing. If Jacob hadn't killed himself, Finn would have finished him off. Finn couldn't control the rage, he had never felt like this before, he was scared. And he lost control, here in the middle of the waiting room. He violently kicked a chair, sending it to the other side of the room, making Quinn and Santana jump. Kurt looked at him, with frightened eyes. Then Finn punched a wall, hurting his hand in the process. The scream he let out scared the hell out of everyone. Puck was by his side in one second as the 6'3 teen collapsed in tears on the floor.

« I can't lose her, Puck. She can't die. » Finn was muttering in Puck's shoulder.

« Come on, man. » whispered Puck « Get it together. Rachel's strong. She 's a little fighter. She'll pull through. »

« How do you know that ? » suddenly asked Mercedes. « There was so much blood . » she kept going crying.

And as a snowball effect, all the teens started to freak out. Santana and Quinn had remained silent. Santana was looking at the others, tears in her eyes. But suddenly, her voice strong and never wavering she answered Mercedes's question.

« Because she's Rachel Berry. She never gives up. She fights and fights and fights. And when the fight seems lost, she fights even more. That's just who she is. »

Everyone turned to Santana who had a small smile on her face. « And let's face it, there is no way the girl is going to die without realizing her Broadway dream before. That's just not acceptable. »

Finn looked into Santana's eyes and her trust in Rachel changed the mood suddenly. Finn smiled and whispered. « Yeah, you're right. »

« And I would hate to be God, if he dared take her now. » laughed Kurt. « He would receive an earful the likes he had never seen before. »

« Yeah. Rachel Berry is a force to be reckoned with. » said Artie.

Everyone smiled at these comments. Marcus and Eli Berry watched the group in front of them, who obviously deeply cared about their daughter. They knew that it had not been an easy road for their Rachel, but she finally broke the walls that all the teenagers had put up, and one by one destroyed all these walls and finally made her way into their hearts. That was the Rachel way. It was never easy with her, but it certainly was worth it.

Marcus Berry got up and made his way to Finn. « Come on, Finn. Let's take a look at your hand. You're lucky you did not punch a bearing wall. » he finished looking at the hole in the wall.

As Marcus led Finn to the nearest doctor, everyone's eyes turned to Quinn who still hadn't uttered a word, still lost in her mind and everyone's heart broke a little more for her.


End file.
